


long and weary my road has been

by aheartfulloflexa



Category: The Last of Us, the last of us part 2
Genre: Angst, F/F, Hurt/Comfort, Slow Burn, enemies to something very complicated, get ready for the slowest of burns, i just want them to have a real conversation okay, pretty much everyone from canon, redemption arc, there were so much more that could've been explored about them, this will be heavily focused on ellie and abby
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-25
Updated: 2021-02-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 19:16:10
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 26
Words: 120,567
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25500478
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aheartfulloflexa/pseuds/aheartfulloflexa
Summary: The paths of vengeance and obsession have blended into one, but by the time they realize this, it might be too late. The chain of events that links Ellie and Abby’s lives doesn’t seem to have an end, no matter how hard they try to stop it.-A re-take on the events of The Last of Us Part II,or the one where Ellie and Abby actually talk to each other.
Relationships: Abby & Lev (The Last of Us), Abby/Ellie (The Last of Us), Ellie & Joel (The Last of Us), Minor or Background Relationship(s)
Comments: 106
Kudos: 294





	1. Miles Away

**Author's Note:**

> So after finishing the game, my mind wouldn’t stop bugging me about this and I just needed to vent all these thoughts and ideas somewhere. This is my re-take on the events of the story and what could've happened after the three days in Seattle, so it’s going to be heavily focused on Ellie and Abby, since their dynamic was one of the greatest things to have come out of the game and I wanted to see more of it. 
> 
> More tags might be added as the story moves on and I'll put the eventual triggers in the beginning of the chapters as well.
> 
> If this is not your cup of tea, just don’t read it.
> 
> *The Last of Us Part II and its characters do not belong to me, all ownership goes to Naughty Dog*

#  Chapter 01 – Miles Away

**Abby – Four months earlier**

**.**

**.**

_She could see the flickering lights illuminating the shallow, long hallway ahead of her. The only sounds were coming from the emergency sirens, indicating that something was wrong, that they were in danger. Did infected enter the building? Were they being attacked?_

_Abby took a step forward, her pistol now heavy in her hands. She needed to find the others, she needed to find Owen and her dad and just get to safety. She continued down the hallway, going towards a red door that had Pediatrics written on it. Her dad was supposed to perform a surgery that day, so that’s where he would be. As Abby got closer, she realized the door was slightly ajar and the lights coming from inside were making a long white line on the floor. With her aim ready, Abby opened it and peaked inside the room. Silence. Since the curtains from the operation room were closed, she couldn’t see anything in there. Where was everybody?_

_Approaching the other door slowly, she felt something slippery under her boots. Abby looked down and all she could see was a large puddle of blood coming from behind the door._

_“Dad?” She called out, but no one answered “Dad! Open up! Dad!”_

_Abby grabbed the doorknob, trying to open it, but it wouldn’t budge._

_“Dad!” She kept pushing it and the blood just wouldn’t stop flowing._

_“Dad!”_

_._

_._

Abby woke up with a jolt, her body going tense as her eyes shot open. She stared at the ceiling, catching her breath and gathering her surroundings. She was safe, she wasn’t at the hospital but in her dorm, at the Stadium. Abby took another deep breath and sat down on her bed, running her hands through her blonde hair.

“Shit.” She muttered. Another night, another different version of the same nightmare. Abby was tired, she couldn’t remember that last time she had a good night of sleep; in fact, going to bed at the end of the day wasn’t something she longed for. She either wore herself out at the gym during her days off or picked up as many assignments as possible to keep her busy. But most of the times, she would wake up like this; startled and breathless.

The clock on her bedside marked 6:15am; it was still early and she could hear Manny’s soft snores coming from the other side of the room. Abby got out of the covers, knowing she wouldn’t be able to get back to sleep anyway, and head to the bathroom. Winter had just started, so it was freezing cold in the mornings and she was glad she was wearing socks and a long-sleeved shirt.

Abby groaned at her reflex in the mirror and turned on the tap to wash her face. The splash of water woke her up for good and she had back to the room to grab her sweater and her boots. Abby also braided her hair in just a couple of minutes, her fingers used to the movements they’ve done probably a thousand times, before heading out towards the canteen.

The whole place was still quiet, everyone slowly waking up and getting ready for their daily tasks. The Stadium was becoming stronger as each day passed, despite the complicated war they were stuck in with the Seraphites for years. It was a good idea to make it their main base, since it had high, fortified walls and plenty of space for crops and livestock. Isaac, their leader, knew that he needed to offer a solid and safe place for the community if he wanted loyal and dedicated members. Abby was still grateful that he had offered shelter for her and the rest of her crew after the Fireflies disbanded four years ago. With the Wolves, she had everything she needed to focus on her quest and be ready for when the time comes. And she knew it would.

Abby got to the last flight of stairs and turned right, saying hi to the guard stationed by the doubled doors that led to the canteen.

“Morning, Abby.” He stiffened a yawn, probably eager to be relieved on the next rotation at 7am.

“Morning.” She replied, pushing the doors open.

The smell of warm bread filled the room and Abby’s stomach growled; she could definitely use some breakfast. From one of the tables, she saw Nora smile and wave at her.

“Hey, you! Come on over.”

“Yeah, just gonna grab something to eat, hold up.” Abby said, going to the breakfast line which was pretty short, thankfully. They were serving bread, scrambled eggs and milk that morning and Abby was more than fine with that.

She moved her tray on the counter as one of the ladies served her.

“Going on the field today, Abby?” One of them asked.

“Nah, it’s my day off.” She shrugged, making small talk.

“Well, have some extra anyway.” The lady smiled and added another portion of eggs to her plate.

“Um… Thanks.” Abby didn’t complain; it’s not like she was going to deny the extra protein.

Abby knew some of the Wolves treated her way too nicely, mostly because they saw her as one of Isaac’s favorites, alongside Manny. She didn’t care much about it though, since she also knew her focus and motivation were a result of something much more personal than what they imagined.

After grabbing her glass of milk, Abby went to Nora’s table, sitting across from her; the other girl already halfway through her breakfast.

“How come you have so much on your plate?” Nora asked, eyeing her friend’s tray.

“Well, a girl’s gotta eat.” Abby simply brushed it off with a grin.

Nora narrowed her eyes “Don’t tell me you followed Manny’s steps and started sleeping with the cook.”

“Gosh, no!” Abby made a face just at the thought of that “You know I’m never that desperate.”

Both women laughed, knowing that was true. It wasn’t like Abby has been with anyone since Owen anyway. She didn’t have time for that and whatever her needs were, she could take care of them by herself.

“So, fell out of bed today? Thought it was your day off.” Nora said after a few bites.

“It is, I just…couldn’t get any more sleep, that’s all.” Abby sighed “What about you?”

“Had an emergency call at 5. A unit patrol got attacked near the old gas station; no major casualties, just some arrow wounds and a broken foot.” Nora explained.

“Damn. And we thought things would get less busy during this winter.” Abby commented and took a bite of one of her bread slices.

“Yeah, can’t count on that. Nothing’s stopping the Scars so we shouldn’t slow down either.”

By the time they finished their breakfast, the canteen was filled with people already. Patrol units getting stocked before leaving for duty, workers coming from outside with large baskets of fruits and vegetables to fill in the storage room, kids gathering around a table to eat something before the first period of classes.

“Any plans for today?” Nora asked while they cleared their trays.

“Not really. It’s laundry day, so I might as well get that done and I don’t know, catch up on some reading or something.” Abby spent almost the same amount of time in the library as she did in the gym.

“Ugh, I don’t know how you can do it.” Nora sighed “Maybe you should make me a schedule too.”

“Ha, you wish.” She smiled and the two girls parted ways, promising to meet each other again for lunch.

Abby went back to her room to start gathering the clothes she needed to wash, and to clean her side of the dorm. It was a pretty big space, with a bathroom and a small kitchen, and while Manny slept on the first level, she preferred the bunk bed near the large windows. She and Manny got along well and had similar roles within the WLF, so Abby didn’t mind sharing the place with him, even if it meant sleeping a couple of nights a month in the library to give him some privacy with his one night’s stands.

The rest of her day went by without any concerns and when evening rolled in, Abby found herself at the gym, going through her work out rotation. She’d set a pretty solid exercise routine ever since she joined the WLF three years ago with her friends and, despite being the youngest among the eight of them, Abby has always been the most disciplined, even when they were still recruits. She knew they were lucky to have found a group willing to take them in after almost a year traveling around with nowhere to go, so she didn’t take the opportunity for granted. Since then, Abby hasn’t missed a single training session, hasn’t been late to any of Isaac’s calls or duty assignments and has worked her body to be in the best shape it could possibly get.

Now laying on the bench press, Abby kept fresh in her mind with every flex of her arms why she was doing this. Her father’s killer was still out there, probably living his life as if nothing had happened. Not only had he ruined her life, but also had taken away humanity’s closest shot at making a vaccine. Fucking smuggler. Marlene should have never trusted him in the first place. Abby sighed heavily, closing her eyes to try and focus on her current task and not on her former leader’s dead body lying on a pool of blood at the hospital’s garage.

As she pressed the barbell upwards one more time, Abby opened her eyes again and the first thing she saw was Manny’s bearded face grinning down at her.

“Jesus!” She groaned, her arms almost failing for a second.

“Huh, some have called me that, but I prefer just Manny.” He grinned even harder, knowing it would definitely piss her off.

After losing her momentum, Abby was really having a hard time keeping all the weight up “Can you just-”

“Sure, let me help you with that.” Manny pulled the barbell up and settled it back on the bench.

“What are you doing here, besides almost giving me a heart attack?” Abby sat down, feeling the heat still hovering over her muscles after all the effort.

Manny kept a lazy smile on his face and leaned on the equipment “Just wanted to know if you’re up for a little get together right now.”

“Get together? You know we’re on patrol tomorrow morning, right?” Abby reminded him and cleaned the sweat off her face with a towel.

“Come on, Abs.” He insisted “The whole gang is here. How long has it been since we all hung out together, huh? Besides, Jordan said he’s found some pretty good stuff on his way here, good enough to beat my Mezcal. Can you believe it?”

Abby couldn’t help but smile this time “And you wanna prove him wrong?”

“Of course!” Manny laughed out loud and Abby was glad there were only a handful of people in the gym “So, what do you say? See you in a few?”

She sighed, knowing she couldn’t say no “Alright. But one drink, Manny, and then we’ll call it a night.” Abby pointed her index finger at him.

“Yes, ma’am. We’re meeting at that empty dorm right below Section E, the one with the green door.”

“Okay, I’ll just take a shower and then meet you there.”

Abby gathered her stuff and went back to her room. Manny was right though, it wasn’t common for all of them to be in the same place at the same time; they were all busy with different assignments or stationed in different outposts, not to mention that Owen had turned the Aquarium into his second home. But Abby didn’t visit it that often anymore.

After showering and changing to clean and warm clothes, Abby followed Manny’s directions and found herself knocking on the green door below Section E. Jordan’s tall figure was the first thing she saw when it opened.

“Hey, Abby. It’s been a while.” he greeted her with a side hug, pressing her shoulders.

“Yeah, I thought you’d never get back from the FOB.” Abby smiled, entering the room “What’s Isaac got you doing there all this time?”

“All that intel gathering from the prisoners he’s been talking to. Like, fuck those Scars, man. We should just hit them head on, ya know?” Jordan messed up with the cap on his head, annoyed.

Abby knew he was all about action and hated when they stationed him for indoor duty “Can’t say you’re wrong.”

“Now, c’mere, check this out.” Jordan continued as Abby followed him to the table where Nick, Manny and Owen were sitting.

She greeted everyone with a small wave, seeing Leah busy with Mel and Nora in the back “So, what do you have here?”

“This, my friend, is what happens when you get lucky cracking a safe’s code.” Jordan replied, feeling proud of his accomplishment “A perfect unopened bottle of whiskey.”

He poured some of the liquor into seven glasses – not for Mel though, since she was pregnant - and handed them over to his friends.

“Meh, I’ve had better.” Manny teased, pursing his lips as he tasted the alcohol.

“Oh, please. You know this is some good shit.” Jordan opened his arms in protest “Puts that Mezcal of yours on a lower level, for sure!”

Abby took a sip from her glass, making a face as she swallowed the strong liquor “Well, it’s definitely better than that shit Owen’s brewing at the Aquarium.”

The three men burst out laughing and Owen ducked his head down, feigning defeat “Yeah, yeah, laugh all you want, you jerks.” He then looked up, a tiny smile hanging from the corner of his lips as he stared at Abby “It’s good to see you.”

“Good to see you too.” She replied, already seeing his girlfriend approach the table “Hey, Mel.”

“Abby. How’s everything?” The shorter woman gave her a tight smile.

“It’s uh, good. Yeah. How’s the…um…baby?” Abby nodded awkwardly at Mel’s small bump “I haven’t seen you since-”

“Yeah, I mean… So far, so good.” She ran her hand through her belly over her thick sweater “It’s finally starting to show.”

“That’s cool.” Abby rocked on her feet, clearly not knowing what to say. Owen was staring deeply into his glass and Abby wanted to kick him for leaving her alone in that stupid exchange of words.

But it seemed luck was on Abby’s side when Leah showed up from behind her and pulled her by her arm.

“Sorry to interrupt, guys, but I need to steal her for a second.” She smiled and tugged Abby to the couch where she was sitting with Nora “Did I just save you from a very awkward conversation?” she whispered, making a funny face since she already knew the answer.

“You have no idea. Thanks for the great timing.” Abby sat down and drank the rest of the whiskey in her glass.

“You’re welcome, but only if you stand still right there so I can snap a shot of your pretty face.” Leah said, reaching for a Polaroid camera on the coffee table in front of them, where Abby could already see some pictures sprawled on.

“What? Leah, no…” She slouched on the couch knowing where that was going.

“She’s not giving up. Trust me, I’ve tried.” Nora chuckled, sipping from her glass.

“Come on, girls, it’s for Christmas. Who knows when we’re gonna get one of these things working again?” Leah raised the camera on her hands to prove her point.

Abby sighed and ran her hands through her face “Okay, fine. But make it quick.”

Leah gave them a tiny happy squeal and positioned herself better on the couch “Alright, now come a little closer…” She gestured at her friends “…And give me your best smiles.”

Abby and Nora obliged, much to Leah’s happiness. She snapped the pictured and eagerly waited for the camera to print it out. Meanwhile, Abby gathered the ones from the coffee table and started to go through them. The first one featured Manny and his signature smile; then there was a cute one of Alice, Mel’s dog, playing on the kennel; next there were Leah and Jordan making silly faces like the lovesick couple they were; and lastly there were Mel and Owen, smiling softly at the camera. Abby stared at the photo for a while longer, her mind starting to come up with conflicting thoughts that she certainly didn’t want to deal with. She knew breaking up with him had been the right thing to do, even if it had meant giving up part of her old life. He deserved better, he deserved someone who was going to be there for him, no matter what. And Abby couldn’t be that person anymore.

She felt Nora leaning on her shoulder, looking at the picture too “I can’t believe they’re having a baby together.” Her friend whispered almost in disbelief.

This time Abby chuckled “I think they look cute.” She continued when she saw Nora rolling her eyes “I’m just glad he’s finally moved on, you know.”

“Has he, Abby?” Nora questioned her, now in a serious tone.

_Yes_ , Abby wanted to say. But maybe she wasn’t so sure about it and just didn’t want to admit it. Maybe Mel was asking herself that same question too.

“All done, girls.” Leah’s great timing stroke again as she handed them their new photo.

Abby was glad for the interruption and looked at her and Nora’s portrait, their names written in black pen below it.

“Looking good, huh?” Nora nudged her, changing the subject, and Abby just laughed as she put the pictures back on the table.

The group chatted some more before a recurrent subject became the topic of their conversation.

“Oh man.” Nick pulled him beanie down to cover his eyes “Owen’s at it again, guys.”

“Wait, lemme guess…” Leah replied from her seat, feet already up on the coffee table “Santa Barbara?”

Simply mentioning that name caused the whole room to groan in unison, like they’ve had that conversation multiple times.

“Don’t tell me you’re still onto that, man.” Manny turned to Owen.

“I’m just saying, guys… It’s a possibility.” Owen got up from his chair, so he could look everyone in the eye “This is the second time I’ve heard someone talk about it. What are the odds of two complete strangers talk about the same place, the same city?”

“Maybe it was just another random group, but they said it was the Fireflies the moment you gave them a name.” Nick had a point.

“No, the last one told me that as he passed through Las Vegas to get here, all he heard from other travelers were rumors about this community that was regrouping in California.”

“You’ve just said it yourself. They’re just rumors.” Abby couldn’t believe Owen was bringing this Firefly regroup thing again.

“Not if we’ve heard about them more than once!” He insisted “What, do you guys want to fight Scars for the rest of your lives?”

Jordan huffed, clearly annoyed “You say like this will last forever, man. We’re gaining on them!”

“Really? Cause the last time we tried to even get close to their island was a massacre.” Owen was right. What the Wolves had in arsenal and training, the Seraphites had in numbers and practical resources. Not to mention the majority of them were well settled on an island West of Seattle – a perfect location.

“Let’s say these rumors are true…” Leah decided to engage in Owen’s theories “How would we even get there? It’s not exactly a trip to the park.”

“Well, there’s the sailboat in the Aquarium. I’ve been trying to fix it, gathering parts around… We could work things out.” Owen explained but it was clear things were easier said than done.

“Look.” Nora finally spoke her mind “I think that if we’re gonna make a move, it should be towards finding the fucker who killed Abby’s father and made us disband in the first place.”

“I know, I know. I want that too, trust me.” Owen reassured them all, his eyes on Abby “But how are we gonna do that if we’re dead, gutted by Scars? Or worse-”

Mel suddenly interrupted him “Nora’s right. That man screwed us over and I don’t see us making him pay if we’re travelling in a vulnerable position to a place we don’t even know it exists.” Abby was glad but not surprised by Mel’s words. They could tolerate each other in a passive-aggressive friendship, but if there was one thing both had in common was the need of seeing Joel dead “Besides, I want the baby to be safe. We have everything we need here.”

The room was silent for a few moments and Abby could see Owen struggling to come up with another argument. But there wasn’t any.

“Listen to your girl, man.” Manny got up with a sigh, going to Owen’s side “You really wanna trade the roof over your head, the food in your belly, high walls around you, for the unknown?” He rested a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

“Yeah, you’re… You’re right.” Owen nodded in agreement, but knowing him, Abby knew this wasn’t going to be the last of their conversations about Santa Barbara.

They all decided to end the night there, making plans of trying to meet up again on Christmas in a couple of days.

“Well, that wasn’t so bad, huh?” Manny said, breaking the silence as he and Abby walked back to their dorm.

“I hope you’re talking about the whiskey.” Abby grinned but Manny didn’t get the chance to reply since they heard someone calling from the end of the corridor.

“Abby! There you are.” One of the soldiers approached her “Isaac is here, he wants to see you.”

“Wait, what? He’s here?” Abby stopped in her tracks, surprised. Why was Isaac at the Stadium so late at night?

“Yeah, he just got here. Wants to talk to you at his office.” The guy said as Abby exchanged a quick look with Manny.

“Um… Okay. I’ll be right up. Thanks, man.”

“No problem.” The soldier went back the way he came and Abby turned to face Manny.

“What’s Isaac doing here?” She was confused, mostly because they would always get a further notice whenever he was coming to the base.

“Maybe he heard about your ex’s escape plan to Santa Barbara.” he teased her.

“Oh, fuck off, Manny.” Abby rolled her eyes and head upstairs, leaving Manny and his crazy laughter behind.

The guard stationed next to Isaac’s office gave her a quick nod and Abby knocked twice before opening the door and heading inside.

“Sir? Excuse me.” She closed the door and spotted Isaac at his table, going through some papers.

“Abby. Here, take a seat.” He kept his back to her, but pointed at the couch across the room.

“Didn’t expect to see you here today.” Abby commented, sitting on the couch.

“Yeah, it was a last minute decision.” Isaac turned to face her and leaned on the table “But since I was nearby, I just thought I’d run some things with you already.”

“Sure. What’s up?” Abby was thinking that maybe he’d come up with a new assignment for her and Manny tomorrow, since they were scheduled to do a simple patrol. But why not just send the message over the radio?

“Early this week we picked up a couple of trespassers at the wall.” Isaac scratched his beard “Further North.”

“Scars?” It’s the first thing on Abby’s mind.

“No, they weren’t from around here. They were stealing from one of our warehouses. Had a camp nearby.”

Abby listened carefully, trying to understand where Isaac was going with that. They picked up trespassers at the wall every other week; it wasn’t something out of the ordinary.

“Funny thing is, when questioned, they said they were former Fireflies, just passing through.” That caught Abby’s attention and she sat up on her seat, fully aware. Isaac knew about the Fireflies, Abby and the others had told them what happened at the hospital that one day, which was one of the reasons he’d welcomed them into the WLF. Sure, he was interested in the fact that two of them were doctors and that they all had military training, but he also empathized with the Fireflies’ cause.

“I asked if they knew your crew, but they said they never manage to get to Salt Lake City.”

“Good for them, I guess.” Abby said dryly. She bet the ones who didn’t make it there had a better chance at surviving.

“Their former base was at Boston.” Isaac continued “They said they served with a man named Tommy Miller a long time ago.”

Tommy Miller.

_Miller_. Abby’s head started to spin with that new piece of information. _That was Joel’s last name_.

“Boston? Is he still there?” Abby was already tracing the route in her head.

“No, last they heard of him, he was living in a settlement in Wyoming. But that was it.” Isaac crossed his arms “I let them go, since they were so…kind on offering this information.

Whatever Isaac said afterwards was lost to Abby’s ears, because she stopped listening to him the moment he mention the new location “Wyoming.” She got up, heading straight to the map that was hanging on one of the walls. From Seattle, Abby traced the path to Wyoming with her index finger; it was pretty goddamn far. She would have to cross almost two states to get there, but she could manage it. “When can I leave?” Abby turned back to face Isaac again, eager to set the mission she waited so long for in motion.

Isaac remained in the same position, watching her “Let’s discuss it.”

“Discuss…” Abby couldn’t see what was there to discuss “I can’t believe you just told me this and expected me not to go. That man’s brother murdered my father, he ended half of our crew in Salt Lake City and he got away with it!”

“I know.” Isaac’s calm façade was leaving Abby even more on edge “But it doesn’t mean he’s there after all this time. Or that his brother is with him.”

“He’s gotta be!” Abby tried to keep her voice down as her boss got up from the table “This is the first real lead I’ve had in years, Isaac. You said you’d help me bring him to justice, I’ve done everything you asked me to, I…”

“Listen, Abby.” Isaac puts a hand on her shoulder “I know what this means to you. But we are in a very delicate situation here with the Seraphites and I can’t just spare a whole unit to cross half the country with the possibility of not coming back.”

“You don’t know that-”

“Let me finish.” He cut her off and Abby locked her jaw tight, swallowing her anger. Did he want her to beg? Because if it came down to that, she would do it.

Isaac stared at her for a few seconds, probably waiting for Abby to calm down, which she was having a hard time doing “Take one, two people at the most.” He finally said “You can leave with a truck, gas, ammo, supplies. Take what you need to finish the job quickly. And when you come back, I want you focused on ending the war with those filthy Scars once and for all, alright. I need you to lead the others, do you understand?”

Abby nodded; she knew she would do anything at that point “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now go, get some rest, we can talk more tomorrow after your patrol.” He patted her back a couple of times and went over to his table again.

Still trying to process that whole conversation, Abby was feeling ecstatic as she left the office. Her mind was racing, coming up with a million plans and scenarios of how everything would end up happening. She needed to find her friends, she needed to tell them that they’d just gotten the best fucking Christmas gift ever. Abby still couldn’t believe it.

She was going to get to Wyoming, she was going to find Joel.

And she was going to finally kill him.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! I'd love to hear your comments about this, so please leave your thoughts below if you want to :)
> 
> Chapter 2 will be posted next week; let's dive into Ellie's pov.
> 
> You can find me on tumblr - aheartfulloflexa, or on twitter - @camisgui
> 
> Come say hi!
> 
> xx


	2. Strained

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!
> 
> Thank you so much for all the support on the first chapter, it meant a lot to me. I hope you will enjoy this second one too.
> 
> xx

#  Chapter 02 – Strained

**Ellie – Present day**

.

.

_Most people have left already._

_I don’t know which group I’m going to join… I was one of the ones that wanted to go after the smuggler and the girl._

The words kept replaying on Ellie’s head, as if she was still playing the recorder she found inside the hospital a bit over two years ago. Ellie had memorized them, every word and every sigh that was coming out of the Firefly woman who recorded the tape.

_They said… Even if we found her, or by some miracle found someone else that’s immune, it’d make no difference._

Ellie could recognize the disappointment and weariness on the woman’s voice; she’d been feeling like that for a while now.

_Cause the only person who could develop a vaccine is dead._

It didn’t matter anymore. There were no more Fireflies, no more lab, no more doctor… Just her. And her useless immunity.

_It’d make no difference._

No difference. Yeah, the woman was right. All those months travelling across the country, all the people she’s lost since the very beginning… Riley, Tess, Sam, Henry… She didn’t even know if Marlene was still alive. It was all for nothing and now she had to live with it.

“Ellie.” Someone was calling her name. Funny, because that part wasn’t on the tape.

“Ellie… Earth to Ellie, are you there?”

A snap of fingers made Ellie blink a couple of times, focusing again on the reality in front of her. She was sitting in a bed, journal on her lap and a pen long forgotten in her hand. To her right side, a very amused Cat was staring at her, a tiny smile hanging from the corner of her mouth.

“Got your head in the clouds?” the girl asked.

“Um… No, I was just…” Closing her journal, Ellie tried to clear her mind completely and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands “I was just thinking.”

“It’s never just _that_ in that head of yours.” Cat got a little closer, her hands resting on Ellie’s forearm, right over the tattoo Cat herself had done on her “You know I’m here for you whenever you feel like talking, right?”

Ellie felt Cat’s fingers caressing her arm, and then sliding downward until they were tangled with hers. Despite knowing each other for a few years, Ellie has never really talked to Cat about her past, or to anyone, to be honest. The only people who knew what she and Joel had been through, and the _true_ reason behind it, were Tommy and Maria, and just like Joel, they also thought it was better to keep her immunity a secret from the rest of the community. Ellie didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but she complied, understanding their concerns.

“I know.” Raising their intertwined fingers, Ellie kissed Cat’s hand with a smile. There was only one time she came close of telling her the truth, a few months ago. Cat was working on Ellie’s last tattoo session, filling in the outline with ink, and even though she had never said anything, Ellie could see the questions floating in Cat’s eyes every time the needle hit the scar on her forearm. Ellie wanted to tell her that the chemical burn wasn’t an accident, that she actually did it on purpose in order to hide a runner’s bite mark that was over 5 years old now. But she didn’t, and Cat didn’t pry on either.

Looking at the alarm clock next to Cat’s bed, Ellie realized it was getting late “I should go, it’s almost 11.” She said scanning the room for her stuff.

“You can stay the night.” Cat circled Ellie’s bare waist, keeping her in bed, and kissed her shoulder “You know my mom wouldn’t mind having you here for breakfast tomorrow.”

“Yeah, it’s just that…” Ellie turned around to face her “If I stay, then Joel will know about it and then he will want to _talk_ about it and…” she sighed, feeling tired “I’m just not in the mood for that.”

“Sure, I get it.” Cat ran one of her hands through her short, dark hair “But you can’t just avoid him forever, Ellie. I mean, he’s-”

“I’ll talk to him.” Ellie quickly replied before Cat could finish her sentence; she didn’t want to know what those next words were “Just give me some more time, okay?”

Cat simply nodded and Ellie got out of bed, grabbing her jeans and hoodie from the floor “So, um… I’ll see you tomorrow?” Ellie was biting her lips, afraid she might have hurt Cat’s feelings for not staying.

“Of course.” The other girl smiled softly “I’m with the little ones in the morning, but I’ve heard someone’s taking me on patrol after lunch.” She raised her eyebrows “Should I be worried?”

“Nah, you’ll be fine. I’ll keep you safe.” Ellie laughed when Cat rolled her eyes “And Maria also agreed that leaving the walls more often will do you good.” Going out for patrols was never really Cat’s thing, since she was terrified of the infected, but it was important that everyone in the community knew how to handle themselves in case of an incident, so it would be a good opportunity for her to practice her aim and weapons skills.

“Okay then. I’ll be ready.” Cat handed Ellie her journal and she put it inside her backpack. Kneeling on her bed so she could be eye level with her girlfriend, Cat pulled the girl for a gentle kiss “Sleep well.” She whispered against Ellie’s lips.

Ellie smiled, blushing a little by the simple gesture even though not only 30 minutes ago both were naked under the sheets “You too.” She squeezed Cat’s hand for a little longer before saying her final goodbyes and heading towards the stairs. Cat’s room was in the basement, where she had plenty of space to store and work on her art, and her love for drawings and paintings was one of the reasons she and Ellie got so close.

After getting to the first floor, Ellie left through the kitchen door and made her way to her own place. The temperature had dropped considerably and Ellie stuffed her hands inside her hoodie’s pockets, wishing all that cold would go away soon. Good thing her house wasn’t far, so less than five minutes later, Ellie was opening the gate that led to Joel’s backyard, where the old garage she had redesigned to be her room was. Looking up to the second floor, Ellie could see that a light was still on, which meant Joel was _still_ awake, probably waiting for her to get back. She sighed, entering her room and closing the door behind her. Ellie had stayed true to the words she’d uttered during their last argument, when she went back to the hospital in Salt Lake City a couple of years ago. _We’re done._ Yeah, definitely. Hearing Joel admit that he had blatantly lied to her about what truly happened that day had hurt more than she could’ve imagined. But maybe she had always known and just didn’t want to believe it. Since then, calling strained her relationship with Joel was an understatement. They only spoke when necessary and Ellie made sure those moments didn’t happen often, so that’s why she was keeping herself from just starting to spend the night at Cat’s. Joel would want to sit down and have a talk, and even though she and Cat had never really made their relationship official, she didn’t want to explain that to Joel, not in those circumstances.

Getting her boots off with a heavy sigh, Ellie simply collapsed on her bed, pulling the covers over her head. She was glad she had the next morning off, because she was pretty tired after a long day of patrolling. Despite the harsh winter, they kept the same number of units going outside to check the perimeter, since the infected would often get caught in the deep snow and stay half frozen on ground, which led to unpleasant surprises in early spring. Hopefully she wouldn’t cross any of them tomorrow afternoon with Cat.

.

.

After a dreamless night, which Ellie was thankful for, since she didn’t get many like that, she made her way to the old diner where the breakfast was served. It was just a bit over 8am and the sun was peeking shyly from behind the clouds, a promise of another cold day. She spot Dina hanging out by the fire and the girl smiled when she saw her friend approaching.

“Ellie!” There were some snowflakes on her dark hair and Ellie wouldn’t doubt it if that was a result of a snowball fight “Tell me my ass isn’t the only one freezing this morning.”

“Ugh, I know.” Ellie stood close by the fire and spread her hands over it “Back to patrol already?”

“Finally, yes. I’m starting again tomorrow. Can’t believe it took me one whole week to convince Maria.” Dina explained herself “I mean, I’m pregnant, not on my death bed.”

“She was just worried you would puke all over the infected.” Ellie teased her friend and earned a light shove as a reply.

“Well, fuck you.” She laughed “Anyway, wanna grab some food? I’m starving.”

Ellie kept a smile on her face, because of course Dina would be the one changing subjects from puking to food “Definitely.”

She followed Dina inside the diner, taking off her gloves since it was much warmer there. They greeted some of the people and grabbed their plates, filling them with bread, cheese and beef jerky.

“Hum, I missed eating this without having to run for the bathroom ten seconds later.” Dina closed her eyes as she savored a cheese ball.

“I’m glad I won’t have to see that again too.” Ellie snorted, making Dina roll her eyes.

“So what are you doing today? No patrols?” her friend asked.

“Yeah, I got one after lunch. Heading over to the ski lodge with Cat. It’s been a while since her last trip outside.”

“Oh, that sounds like a date to me.” Dina grinned “Have I told you how adorable you look together?”

“Shut up.” Ellie looked down at her plate to hide the blush on her cheeks, much to Dina’s amusement. She was one of the first persons to know about Ellie and Cat, and didn’t miss a single opportunity to make her friend blush about her girlfriend.

“Hello, ladies.” Ellie didn’t even realize Jesse approaching the table.

Dina gave him a peck on the lips as he sat down next to her, putting his backpack on the floor “Hey, handsome.”

“You look like a tomato.” Jesse pointed out to Ellie’s face.

She shrugged, like it was no big deal “Blame your girlfriend for that.”

“We were just talking about Cat.” Dina smiled again.

“Oh, that makes sense. How is she, by the way? Didn’t wanna join us?” Jesse asked.

“She’s fine, yeah, she’s with the kids this morning. They’re excited about an art project.”

“That’s pretty cool. Dina here could use some experience with kids too.” Jesse continued seeing Dina about to open her mouth to reply “And no, those intense snowball fights don’t count.”

“I’m great with kids, okay? It’s not my fault they bring out my competitive side.” She simply brushed it off with a smile.

They all laughed and Jesse picked up his backpack, ready to leave.

“Well, wish I could stay longer, but I’m heading out. Gonna relieve John and Madison on the next rotation.” Jesse put on his gloves “And don’t forget, Ellie. It’s me and you tomorrow morning, 6am sharp, alright? Not a minute late.”

“And when was I ever late?” Ellie replied as she chewed some cheese.

“Want me to answer that?” Jesse smirked and head towards the door.

The rest of the morning went by quickly and before she knew it, Ellie was standing in front of Cat’s house, waiting for the girl to get ready.

“Okay, let’s go.” Cat smiled as she climbed down the steps of her porch “How do I look?” She opened her arms, showing off her thick blue coat and a scarf.

“Cute.” Ellie raised an eyebrow at her.

“Well, I was aiming for intimidating.” Cat grabbed Ellie’s hand as they started walking towards the stables “Dangerous, even.”

“Wearing this beanie?” Ellie tugged lightly at the piece of clothing on Cat’s head, which left only a couple strands of her short hair out “Nope. Cute it is.”

They both laughed, getting to the stables after a short walk. Ellie grabbed a hunting rifle to go along with her pistol and then helped Cat with her gear.

“Hey, Shimmer.” She reached out for her horse and patted his nose fondly “Remember Cat? She’ll be riding with us today.”

After getting everything ready, Ellie and Cat made their way to the East Gate “You’ll be relieved in a couple of hours. Stay safe out there, girls.” One of the guys said, pulling the gate open.

“We will. Thank you!” Ellie answered back, urging Shimmer to move forward as they followed the trail into the forest ahead.

.

.

“Wow.” Cat said after they’ve been riding for a few minutes “All this snow surely makes everything more beautiful.” Her artist’s eyes were focused on the shining river stream and all the trees covered in snow, creating an untouchable scenery.

“It does, right? Wait till you see the view from the ski lodge.” Ellie smiled looking over her shoulder.

“Glad I brought my notebook then.” She squeezed Ellie’s waist as Shimmer jumped over a fallen log on the ground.

It didn’t take them more than 15 minutes to reach their destination and before they knew, the large windows of the ski lodge were on sight.

“Here we go.” Ellie got off her horse, hitching him at one of the posts at the entrance “Let’s head inside so you can get to know the place.”

Cat followed her, amazed at how neat and cozy the whole lodge was “Damn, someone really put on some work here.”

“It was Tommy. He said this place has the most comfortable seats of all of our outposts” Ellie chuckled when Cat sat on one of the cushions, testing it with an impressed face “But that’s not the best part. Come check this out.”

Ellie went over to the large windows past the lounge and the big fireplace in the middle. Most of them were still intact, which allowed a clear view of the outside.

“This is amazing.” Cat stood next to her, staring at the landscape as it stretched over snow covered hills and mountains. As she looked up, she could see a couple of steel cables disappearing through the trees “Are there any cable cars here?”

“Um… No, not really. Tommy said most of them stayed at the base, but it’s too high up the mountain, so we didn’t make it an outpost.” Ellie remembered him saying something like that.

“Oh, okay. Can you imagine riding on one of those things? The Old World people were lucky, I’d give you that.” Cat mused.

Ellie smiled, feeling nostalgic even though she never got to experience that “Yeah, that’d be totally cool.”

“So what do we do now? Don’t forget I’m a patrol rookie.” Cat turned to her girlfriend again.

“Alright then. Let’s take a look around outside, see if there are any stragglers. After that we write our progress down in the logbook by the counter and be done for the day.” Ellie explained.

“Lead the way.”

Both girls headed outside and started going over the perimeter. It was a quiet afternoon, the only sounds coming from the wind rustling on the tree leaves and some animals trotting in the background. Ellie guided Cat through the usual patrol routine, telling her where each trail would lead, how many outposts they had, what to do in case of an emergency. She was sure they weren’t going to run into any infected when Cat stopped on her tracks, pulling Ellie by the sleeve of her coat.

“What’s that sound?” the girl asked as she pulled her pistol from the holster.

Ellie listened closely, a low grumbling sound coming from their left down a small hill “Come, let’s see what it is.” They made their way to the edge of the hill slowly, guns ready to shoot, and looked down.

Cat gasped at the sight, her grip on Ellie’s arm tightening. There, sunken on the deep snow up to their upper bodies, three runners were shaking and groaning, their whimpers creating an awful symphony that made a shiver run through Cat’s spine. “Oh gosh.”

“They must’ve fallen over the edge and now they’re stuck.” Ellie pointed out in a whisper, since she didn’t want to get their attention.

Cat then raised her gun, aiming directly at the infected as she tried to control her breath.

“Wait, wait!” Ellie hissed, putting her arm down “We have to be quiet.” She crouched and started going through her backpack, fumbling with some parts and materials.

“What are you doing?” Cat didn’t want to spend another second near those runners.

“Here.” In a swift move, Ellie attached an improvised silencer to her pistol “This way we won’t alert the other ones. Let me show you.” Aiming for the runner that was further away from the others, Ellie pulled the trigger, sending a bullet straight through his head with a muffled pop “One down.” She turned to Cat “Wanna get the other ones?”

Her girlfriend hesitated at first, but then just nodded as Ellie handed her the pistol “Okay, now hold your aim steady and go for their heads.” Ellie instructed her.

Cat took a few more deep breaths, trying to calm herself, before she pulled the trigger and put the second one down. The remaining runner continued whimpering, its shoulders moving back and forth, unaware of what was happening on its surroundings.

“Now the last one. You can do it.” Ellie encouraged her again and Cat focused on more. The last shot landed on the runner’s head and Cat jumped a little at the silencer falling off the gun, completely worn out.

“There. I did it.” She exhaled, feeling relieved “I did it.”

“You sure did. It wasn’t so bad, huh?” Ellie smiled, taking her pistol back and turning the safety on before setting it back on her thigh holster.

“That’s enough adrenaline for today, if you ask me.” Cat let out a nervous laughter.

“Alright, let’s head back to the lodge.”

The girls followed the trail back and after checking on Shimmer, Ellie went inside to write their report on the logbook. Cat was already sitting by the large windows, notebook on her lap, ready to make some sketches. Ellie moved over to her side and time went by without any of them realizing it.

“Well, it certainly doesn’t do this view any justice, but I’m happy with it.” Cat brushed off some charcoal remains from her two page drawing, feeling a bit proud of herself.

“Are you kidding me? This looks amazing, Cat.” Ellie took the notebook in her hands, admiring the girl’s work. Cat had even added a cable car to the view, making the lodge look like it did during its glory days “Wish I could draw with this much detail.”

“You can, baby. You know I love your style.” Cat was quick to reply.

“Yeah, right.” Ellie looked down, knowing she couldn’t compete with Cat’s amazing skills, not only at drawing but also painting and tattooing.

“I do! I mean it. Besides…” Cat had an evil grin on her face “I know you’re learning from the best.”

“Oh, getting cocky now, huh?” Ellie knew Cat was just teasing her “I’ll show you who’s the best.” She grabbed Cat by the waist, tickling her side.

“Ellie! Ellie, don’t you dare!” Cat let out a squeal and fell back onto the couch, trying miserably to control her laughter “Don’t you fucking dare!”

“Wait, was that a cuss word coming out of your mouth?” Ellie’s hands stilled and she feigned surprise, since Cat rarely used them “I don’t think we can be together anymore, Cat.”

“Shut up, you idiot.” Cat said after catching her breath “You’re the one to say.”

Ellie laughed, her body now hovering over Cat’s as she used her hands for support.

“You know…” Cat continued “These seats are indeed very comfortable. I totally get it now.”

“Oh yeah? Lemme get close to find out.” Ellie lowered her head, her lips touching Cat’s just slightly.

The other girl smiled and closed the gap between them, her hand going to Ellie’s neck as she kissed her. It was soft and gentle, and Ellie savored every moment of it. And to think she had ran away the first time Cat kissed her, afraid she would infect her or something. Ellie felt silly thinking about that now, but it’s not like she could’ve known about it. She deepened the kiss and Cat’s grip on her neck tightened, her fingers digging into Ellie’s scalp. Both were so caught up they didn’t even realize as the door stood open and a loud, annoyed voice echoed through the lodge.

“What’s the meaning of this?”

Ellie and Cat sat up in a jolt, completely taken by surprise. At the entrance, a grumpy Seth stared at them with a disgusted face “You should feel ashamed of yourselves.”

“We weren’t doing anything. Geez…” Cat replied, taking her notebook from where it had fallen on the floor and putting it inside her backpack.

“Can’t believe Maria is trusting our safety to a couple of degenerates.” Seth muttered under his breath, but it was enough for Ellie to hear it.

“What the fuck did you just say?” She got up from her seat, ready to argue with him; hell, even punch him if it was needed.

“You heard me.” Seth didn’t back down.

“Hey, what’s going on here?” To make matter’s worse, Ellie watched as Joel entered the lodge, his eyes going back and forth between Seth and her.

“Why don’t you ask this daughter of yours?” Seth replied, his gaze still locked on Ellie.

“Excuse me?” Joel stood in front of him, his back to Ellie.

“Guys, stop.” Cat felt the tension in the room growing heavier by the minute.

“To hell with this, I’m going back to town.” Seth glanced one last time at Ellie and Cat, and made his way outside.

“Yeah, maybe you should.” Standing his ground, Joel didn’t move until Seth was out the door. He then turned to Ellie, who was already grabbing her backpack, ready to leave as well “You okay, kiddo?”

“What’s wrong with you?” Ellie questioned, pissed at the whole situation. Of course of all the people at Jackson, Joel and Seth had to be the ones to relieve her on patrol.

“He had no right to speak-” Joel couldn’t even finish his sentence before Ellie cut him off.

“And you do? I don’t need your fucking help, Joel.” She spat back.

“Ellie…” Cat came from behind her, trying to calm her down.

“Let’s just fucking go, Cat.” Ellie stormed through the doors, not waiting for a reply.

She untied Shimmer and the horse huffed a few times, sensing her agitation; Ellie just needed to get the hell out of there before her head exploded. Cat left the lodge a few moments later and hopped on Shimmer’s back without saying a word, probably knowing that Ellie wouldn’t want to engage in any type of conversation in her current state. They made their journey back to Jackson lost in their own thoughts.

.

.

**Joel – present day**

It was a peaceful evening. Most of the town had already settled down, running from the winter cold inside their houses and cabins, probably to watch a movie under the covers or to drink some hot tea. Only the night patrols could be seen circling the streets or on the watch towers. But the buzzing of the lights and the humming of the insects weren’t the only sounds drifting off into the night. With ease, Joel strummed the cords of his guitar smoothly, his calloused fingers creating a soft melody he already knew by heart.

He kept his eyes closed, head bobbing as he felt the accords come to life. This guitar was his latest crafting and judging by its tune, it was ready to be put to work. Maybe he should take it to the school too; he reckoned Maria had mentioned that more kids were showing interest in learning how to play. Soon he would have to go scavenge that music store in the outskirts of Jackson again.

Joel smiled, the tapping of his foot making the wood board beneath it squeak. This reminded him of the lazy evenings back in Texas, over 25 years ago, when it was just him and Tommy relaxing on the porch, guitar in hand and cold beer in a cooler next to them while Sarah took a nap inside. But then the outbreak happened and well, that was another story. Joel never thought he would ever get to play a guitar again just for the sake of it, let alone sit on a porch without worrying about infected or Fedra soldiers watching his every move. But there he was, doing it again. Not without a price, though.

Footsteps on the snow made Joel stop playing immediately, eyes now focusing on the person approaching. As Ellie’s boots climbed the two steps to his porch, Joel sat up on his chair, surprised.

“Hey.” A ghost of a smile flicked through his face; she had stopped coming over a while ago.

Joel watched as Ellie stood there awkwardly, eyes landing everywhere but on his “Hi.” She replied and leaned on the wooden ledge, staring at his backyard.

He put the guitar on the table and grabbed his coffee mug, anything to keep his hands busy as he leaned next to her, but not too close. Joel feared that even the slightest wrong move would make her run away, like a skittish deer. At least that was how things have been lately.

“Those were, um… Some nice tunes you were playing.” Ellie said and Joel actually smiled a little, glad she got to listen to it.

“Yeah, I was just…tuning this new guitar. Finished it earlier this evening, so…” He trailed off, not wanting to ramble on his activities in case she didn’t want to hear about them.

“Cool.” She nodded, still not looking at him. Joel knew this was how she acted when she was angry. One word replies, no eye contact, jaw tight. He’d seen it happen many times, even before they got back to Jackson, but this time it wasn’t as simple to handle or just brush it off. Joel’s experience with having a teenage daughter once couldn’t help him either, because Ellie was now taller and older than Sarah would ever be and the reasons for her behavior were deeper than anything that has ever happened to them.

They stood there in silence for a few moments. Joel knew she had gone there to talk to him willingly so he wanted to give her enough space to gather her thoughts. After some time, Ellie finally turned to him, her green eyes sharp and determined.

“I had Seth under control.” Her voice was calm and Joel simply nodded in agreement.

“I know.” And of course he did. Joel knew she didn’t need anyone to back her up, that she was independent enough to handle her own problems, but he just couldn’t have _not_ done anything in that moment “But he was being disrespectful towards you, and I-”

“You should’ve just stayed out of it.” She said a little more pressed now.

“Yeah… You’re right.” Joel nodded again and they fell into silence for a few more minutes. He knew that was easier said than done. It was like asking a parent not to care about their kid and even though Ellie weren’t truly his, he still cared.

After taking a sip of his hot coffee, Joel decided to just carry the conversation on “So uh… Cat. Is she your girlfriend?” He’d seen them walking around together more often, talking and laughing, and perhaps he already knew the answer to that question.

“Um… Yeah, I mean…” Ellie fumbled with her words “We’ve been together for a few weeks, so yeah.”

“That’s good. She’s… She’s a nice girl and I’m sure she’s lucky to have you.” Joel’s words were honest and he really meant them. He wanted nothing more than to see Ellie happy with someone she loved by her side.

She puffed, shaking her head “You’re such an asshole.” She said in disbelief.

Joel looked down, not really sure of what to say “Ellie, I don’t want you to think I-” He was interrupted again.

“I was supposed to die in that hospital.” Ellie said fiercely this time and now it was Joel who couldn’t face her eye to eye “My life would’ve fucking mattered. But you took that from me.”

Joel saw through her voice that she was choking back the tears and he held on tight on his mug, holding back his own. Ellie had every reason, every right to be mad and disappointed at him and Joel took it all in. All of her anger, frustration, disappointment… Because he knew that he’d rather have that every day for the rest of his life if it meant he would still get to see her alive.

He took a deep breath before finally turning left to face her “If somehow the Lord gave me a second chance at the moment…” Joel stared right into Ellie’s watery green eyes “I would do it all over again.” And he would. No matter how selfish that was, how many people he had to kill on the process; he wouldn’t change his mind, not for a goddamn second. And maybe, looking at the pain all over Ellie’s face, he knew that deep down she was aware of that too.

“Yeah…” Ellie whispered, turning away slightly to hide a couple of tears that had fallen before looking at Joel again “I just… I don’t think I can ever forgive you for that.”

Joel nodded and rested his elbows on the wooden ledge, resignation washing over him. There was nothing he could do about it; certainly not ask for forgiveness over something he didn’t regret doing.

“But I would like to try.” Ellie’s sudden words made his eyebrows perk up, a bit of hope growing on his chest.

“I’d like that.” Joel could feel his face burn with emotions, something he wasn’t used to at all, not until he accepted a job of smuggling a little girl out of a city.

“Okay.” Ellie said after a few moments, her hands jittery as she probably searched for the right words “I’ll see you around.”

“Yep.” His reply came quickly; he couldn’t trust his voice anymore. Joel watched her walk the rest of the way to her room in the garage, catching a last glimpse of her face when she looked back at him before closing the door behind her.

He would take what she could give, and for now, trying was enough for him.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading! Please let me know your thoughts below, I love reading your comments.
> 
> I'll try to update this once a week, probably every Friday or Saturday. Come talk to me on my social media too:
> 
> Tumblr - aheartfulloflexa  
> Twitter - @CamisGui
> 
> See you next time!
> 
> xx


	3. The Horde

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> Thanks again for all the support, I really appreciate it. Hope you all enjoy this chapter as well.
> 
> xx

#  Chapter 03 – The Horde

Abby – Present day

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.

_Abby was back at the St. Mary’s Hospital again; she’d lost track of how many times she’d found herself walking slowly through that eerie corridor, the blasting ring of the emergency sirens casting red shadows across her face. Abby knew where she had to go, so she held her pistol tight in her hands and moved towards the red door with Pediatrics written next to it._

_She peeked inside, already searching for blood on the floor, but there wasn’t any. Maybe she got there on time, maybe this was her chance to stop it all. The lights from the operation room were on and, through the curtains, Abby saw a shadow moving inside._

_“Dad.” She called out and reached for the doorknob. Much to her surprise, it wasn’t locked, and the door opened smoothly, showing her that she was definitely not on time and she would never be._

_Lying on the floor, surrounded by a pool of dark, red blood, was her father. A scalpel hanged loosely from Jerry’s right hand and his lifeless eyes stared unfocused at where Abby was standing._

_“No…” She cried and before she could reach for his body, Abby noticed that she wasn’t alone in the room. Moving from the shadows, a dark figure took a step towards her and Abby’s breath got caught in her throat._

_The first thing she noticed was his big boots, enough to crush any skull with ease. His hands were also large and covered in blood, holding tightly to a revolver, probably the same one he used to end her father’s life. The man was standing tall, hovering over her, and Abby never felt so small and helpless than in that moment. And the worst part, the one that made her skin crawl, was his face. She couldn’t see it clearly, because it had been replaced by a dark and deep blur. It was spinning in motion, like a black hole sucking all the light around it. Completely stuck in place, she couldn’t even raise her arm to point her pistol at him, to shoot him multiple times just like he’d done with her father. Instead, the man in front of her was the one to aim his revolver at her and without hesitating, he pulled the trigger._

.

.

Abby gasped, eyes shooting open. She put her hand on her chest, searching for a bullet wound, but there wasn’t any. It was just a dream, it wasn’t real. Not anymore. She opened her sleeping bag and sat up, breathing deeply a couple of times as a shiver ran though her body. It was freezing cold and she hated every second that she had to spend in the frozen landscapes of Wyoming.

She looked around the living room; Nora was still sleeping, but she spotted Manny by the fireplace, fixing the fire with a stick. Abby got up and made her way to him, rubbing her arms over her long-sleeved shirt “Hey.” She sniffled, sitting next to the fire.

“Heya.” Manny smiled a little “Rough night?”

Abby massaged her neck, trying to get rid of the tension there “Yeah, you could say that.” She sighed and looked over to the windows “What time is it?” It was still dark outside, but it was hard to see through the thick glass.

“It’s still early, don’t worry.” Manny reassured her “We got some time.”

Abby simply nodded and accepted a bowl of whatever Manny was cooking. They had been hiding out inside an abandoned chalet near the hills around Jackson for a couple of days. It wasn’t hard finding the settlement; it was the only solid and fortified one they had seen since they stepped foot in Wyoming. Abby had to admit it that the place was bigger than she had imagined and it seemed pretty organized as well – watch towers, electricity from the dam it was connected to, patrols well-armed and on horseback. Funny how much one could learn about a place through the lens of a binocular. And that was exactly what the three of them had been doing for the past couple of days; monitoring, observing, learning. They couldn’t just storm through Jackson’s gates, asking Tommy Miller where his brother was; it had to be well planned since Abby didn’t know when she would have an opportunity like this.

“This is pretty good.” Abby said, pointing at their bowls, even though it had taken her a couple of bites to realize it was rabbit meat “How come you’ve never cooked for us, huh?”

“Well, I can’t give all my secrets away.” Manny explained “It’s part of my charm.”

Abby laughed, shaking her head “Sure. Either way, I’m glad you decided to come along with me.”

“Of course.” he nodded “Thought you’d want Owen to be here too, though.”

Abby did, yeah. But it was complicated. Owen was obsessed with that Santa Barbara thing and even Mel seemed eager to go along with Abby if she weren’t pregnant.

“I just didn’t think it would be a good idea, not when his mind is focused on something else.” She had gone to the Aquarium to talk to him but it was useless. Abby thought she could count on him, yet they’d become so different. She was different now.

“I’m pretty sure he’d drop off anything if you asked him to.” Manny wasn’t exactly wrong.

“He wants to put an end to this too, Manny, but not at all cost anymore.” Abby said, knowing what this whole mission implied. It was risky and there was a chance of Joel not being in Jackson, even though she didn’t want to think about it. And now Owen also had a family to worry about too.

“Well, Nora and I got your back, you know that, right?” Manny rested his hand on his friend’s shoulder “We’re family.”

“I love it when you get all sentimental on me.” Abby brushed it off with a smile, but she truly knew she could count on them for anything.

They heard a rustling sound coming from the other end of the room and soon Nora joined them around the fire.

“Speaking of the devil…” Manny grinned at the young doctor.

“Haha, very funny.” Nora settled herself between them, rubbing her hands together “Is it time already?”

“In a few, yeah. Should we go over the plan once more?” Manny asked, getting his makeshift map out of his backpack.

“Sure.” Abby leaned in closer to see the directions “Alright, so here’s the chalet and here’s Jackson.” She pointed out with her index finger “These are the outposts we could see from our position and this one here seems to be the closest to us.”

“So you’re gonna get there before the patrol and pose as a couple of travelers heading West, right?” Nora asked “You think they’re gonna buy that?”

“I’m a great actor.” Manny stated like it was no big deal “Besides, that last group we ran into told us they got supplies from Jackson when passing through. So apparently they’re used to that kind of deal with outsiders.”

“Yeah. We get confirmation from the patrol and if he’s really there, we go back to town with them.” Abby continued “And from there, we’ll find a way to lure him here, where you’ll be waiting.”

Nora would stay at the chalet, working as their way out if something went wrong “What if he isn’t? We have to think of that possibility too, Abby.”

“He will be.” _He had to_ , Abby thought “I’m sure of that.”

“Alright then.” Manny got up, dusting off his pants “Let’s gear up.”

After putting on her boots and jacket, Abby grabbed her backpack and followed her friends to the garage, where their truck was parked. They still had enough gas to make their way back to Seattle, not to mention enough bullets and supplies – Isaac had kept his promise to Abby about letting her take what she needed.

“We should be subtle.” Manny checked the hunting knife on his thigh and handed a shotgun to Nora “If we both get there with rifles and shotguns, they might get too suspicious.”

Abby nodded, leaving her AR in the back of the truck “Yeah, you’re right.” She grabbed a couple of pipe bombs instead, and a machete, tightening it on the side of her backpack. Going with their pistols only was a bit risky, but they could handle themselves, and it’s not like they would ran into many infected on Jackson’s perimeter anyway “All settled?”

“Sí, vamonos.” Manny replied and Nora opened the garage door, letting a rush of cold wind inside.

“Jesus.” She hugged herself “Now I’m hoping you guys won’t freeze on the way there.”

“We’ll be fine.” Abby put on her beanie, tugging her braid a little to adjust it “Just keep your eyes and ears sharp. We should be here by tomorrow morning at the most.”

“Okay. May your survival be long.” Nora recited the Wolves’ motto.

“May our deaths be swift.” Manny closed the door and left the chalet with Abby. They would walk to the overlook point they were using to monitor Jackson and then head over to the outpost where the patrol would be.

“Of all the places in this country…” Manny continued as he climbed over a slope, his feet sinking in the snow “Of course this pendejo had to live in the middle of nowhere.”

Abby laughed, following right behind him “I know, right? Maybe after this we should just continue going south. Might end up getting to Mexico if we’re lucky.” Abby had heard a lot of stories about Manny’s hometown; he always had some fun shenanigans of his teen years.

“Oh, if only my dad could see it again.” He smiled, jumping over a stream that crossed the mountain “Careful not to slip, the water must be ice cold.”

“I got it.” Abby made it across and they reached the overlook spot after a few more minutes. Knowing the next round of patrols would leave Jackson soon, the two of them continue walking towards the outpost. But it didn’t take long before Abby ran into her first setback.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.” She stopped in her tracks, seeing that the trail they were following ended at the edge of a cliff, with only a narrow ledge left as a path.

Manny took a closer look and then scanned around them, looking for another path “Well… I don’t think we have much of a choice. Unless you wanna go back and search for another trail down.”

“No, it will take us too long.” Abby licked her dried lips “Let’s just do this.”

“Alright. You can hold on to me.” He started to cross and offered his arm as a support.

Manny used to make fun of Abby’s fear of heights, but once he realized how it really affected her, he let go of the jokes. And Abby knew that calling it fear was nothing more than an understatement, because she was pretty much terrified by the mere thought of it. Acrophobia, she had heard her father call it once. But on a post-outbreak world, she hardly ever had the option to simply avoid the kind of situation she was currently on.

 _You can do this, Abby_ ; she encouraged herself mentally, grabbing Manny’s arm as she kept her back glued to the rock behind her. She tried not to look down, but failed miserably, doing the exact opposite and staring right at the huge fall below her feet “Oh fuck.” She breathed hard, closing her eyes when the black dots started to blur her vision.

“Come on, Abs. Just a few more steps.” Manny said looking back at her.

“Okay…okay…” She tried to focus on her breathing as Manny guided her to the end of the ledge. It wasn’t even that far, but for Abby it felt like she was crossing a whole mile. When they made it to the other side, she could feel her body stiff and her muscles tense; maybe she shouldn’t have eaten that rabbit meat.

“Checkpoint achieved.” Manny smiled at her in an attempt to lighten up the mood.

“I can’t wait to fucking leave this place.” Abby complained with a huff.

“Come on, this way.”

They continued on, climbing down a steep trail, the snow now deep to their shins. Abby kept reminding herself why she was there, why all of this mattered. She had never been this close to getting what she wanted, and while they were going with an uncertain and risky plan, she wouldn’t let anything or anyone get in her way.

“Oh, heads up.” Manny slowed down and took off his pistol from its holster.

Abby did the same as they walked into a more wooded area; on the ground, there were five, maybe six bodies sprawled over. Abby got close and nudged one of them with the tip of her boots.

“Infected?” Manny asked.

“Yeah. Looks like they froze to death.” Abby didn’t see any signs of bullets “Let’s not linger though, there could be more around.”

There was a crack on one of the rocks, big enough for them to squeeze through, and Manny had to push another frozen runner who was blocking the way out on the other side.

“Done.” He dusted off his gloves and turned to Abby “Now I guess we can finally-”

Before he could finish his sentence, a shrieking growl came from under the snow and a runner grabbed Manny by his foot, throwing him off his balance.

“Hijo de una puta!” Manny tried to go for his knife, but the runner was on top of him.

“Manny!” Reacting quickly, Abby grabbed the runner by its shoulders, getting it off her friend, but then it turned to her “Goddammit!”

Abby didn’t have a good angle to shoot it and the runner kept growling aggressively, its hands clutching to the sleeves of her jacket. Abby took a few steps back and before she knew it, the ground was moving beneath her and they both stumbled down the slope.

“Shit.” She groaned, landing on her right shoulder. Abby didn’t have much time to think about it though, because the runner was already up and launching for her.

In a swift move, Abby dodged its attack and landed a right hook to its face, making it back away a few steps. She hit it again and finished the job by cracking its head against a rock.

“Abby!” Manny yelled from up the hill “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good!” She massaged her shoulder, knowing it would probably be sore the next morning.

“I’m coming down.” Slowly, Manny made his way down to where Abby was, dragging another load of snow with him.

Abby grabbed her pistol from the ground but didn’t even have time to holster it before two more runners started coming towards them.

“Are you kidding me?” Manny was having none of it and shot both of them in the head without hesitation.

Abby chuckled “Good aim. You’re getting better.” She teased him since they both had a friendly competition back at their base on who was the better shot.

“When we get back, we’re raising the stakes, okay?”

“Your words, not mine.” Abby continued “Alright, I think we can cut through those houses, we shouldn’t be that far now.”

They headed to the back of an abandoned house, jumping over a broken window to get inside. It seemed clear from infected and there was nothing left of useful to scavenge.

“Here, we can crawl under this.” Manny lifted a piece of cardboard, revealing a large hole on the floor, probably leading outside “Just try not to stare at my ass.”

“Shut up, Manny.” Abby pushed him slightly as he crawled under the opening first, and then followed right behind him. It was humid and the whole place smelled like mold, and Abby swore she would never complain about her life at the Stadium again.

“Runner up ahead.” Manny turned his body to get a good angle and shot it in the head too “Done.”

They managed to get outside and kept going through the backyard of another house. All the doors and windows were boarded up, but a crack on one of the walls was enough for them to get inside. The whimpering of yet another runner made them stay crouched, hidden behind the furniture of the bedroom. Manny pointed towards the door and Abby waited for the runner to turn around before getting it from behind in a silent move, breaking its neck with almost no effort.

“I hear more downstairs.” Manny whispered and they both climbed down the stairs slowly, spotting two more runners roaming the living room. They were whimpering and shivering, hands already turning a deep shade of purple due to months of exposure to the cold.

Without making any noise, Manny grabbed one from behind while Abby finished the other “I think we’re clear.” He said, leaving through the front door.

On the outside, Abby tried to figure out where the hell they were “This all look the same to me.” She scanned the place that seemed to be like an old street, with some cars half-buried in the snow.

“Let’s climb over the fence, see if we can find another trail.” Manny helped her get over and then followed behind. It didn’t take long before they heard more grunting up ahead.

Abby and Manny rushed to get behind one of the cars “More of them? I thought this place would be clear.” He complained, seeing maybe a handful of runners blocking the path they needed to get through.

“Me too.” Abby sounded worried. Since they were so close to Jackson, she’d assumed they wouldn’t run into so many infected. This was going to slow them down and she couldn’t afford that, especially now that she could see the wind picking up a little “Let’s just move past them. Looks like a storm is coming and we can’t get caught in the middle of it.”

“Alright, we can use the cars as cover.”

They moved slowly, taking advantage of the bad weather to stay out of sight. Hiding behind an old van, Abby saw what seemed to be their way out “There, under that truck. I think we can squeeze though.” There was a huge semi-truck blocking the street, but the gap under it apparently was enough for them.

“Okay. I’m gonna throw this and distract them. Should buy us a few seconds.” Manny was holding an empty glass bottle he’d found on the ground “Ready?”

Abby nodded and he threw it on a window of one of the cars to their opposite direction. The runners all stopped for a moment, like they were processing what had just happened, and then ran towards the sound like crazy.

“This is our chance, let’s go.” Abby and Manny ran to the truck and crawled under it before any of the runners noticed them.

Reaching the other side, they were glad to see they’d found a new trail, leading up and down the mountain.

“Take a look.” Abby kneeled next to it “Fresh horse tracks.” She touched the snow where the tracks were, noticing two pairs of hooves going up “They weren’t supposed to be this early.”

“Come on, we can still catch up before the storm hits.” Manny said and they both picked up the pace, following the tracks.

The wind had gotten rough, making it hard to see, but Manny and Abby kept pushing forward, trying not to get lost or walk in circles around the forest. Not far ahead, they saw an old wooden bridge and seemed like the tracks were leading that way.

“Careful.” Manny held Abby by her arm “More runners.” He pointed forward.

“Shit. Where the hell are they coming from?” Abby looked around for a place to hide and move stealthily, but they were out in the open completely.

“I don’t know, but there are too many, Abby. We’re gonna get overrun.” Manny was on high alert, trying not to get surrounded, but the infected were everywhere.

 _Fuck, think, Abby!_ She couldn’t see a way out as more and more infected started to appear from every direction. It didn’t take long until a runner spotted them and screamed from the top of its lungs, alerting all the others.

“Fuck. Manny? Run.” Abby didn’t have to say it twice before they were both running away.

They crossed the bridge in a second, only for another pack of infected to fall from a slope to their left, making them change their course to the other side. As she ran for her life, Abby started to realize why they had seen so many infected on their way down from the chalet.

They had walked straight into a horde.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading! 
> 
> I would love to hear your thoughts on the comments below, it's always a pleasure to answer them.
> 
> xx


	4. The Storm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys!
> 
> Thank you all who have been reading and supporting this story, it means a lot to me :') I know most of you just want to jump right to all the Ellie x Abby interactions, but I need to set up this whole background first in order to get them where I want to. I'm a sucker for a slow burn and this one is burning real, real slowly, but hang in there, it will be worth it.
> 
> Just a heads up for this chapter: tw for violence, gore, torture and major character death. I'm sorry :/
> 
> See you on the end's notes.
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 04 – The Storm**

**Abby – Present Day**

Her feet were sinking on the snow, leaving deep footprints behind as she ran the fastest that she could. Abby was already out of breath due to all the effort, but every time she looked behind her and saw more than a dozen of runners and clickers chasing her like crazy, Abby somehow found another boost of energy to keep going.

“I can’t see shit!” Manny yelled right beside her as they both slipped down a slope, tripping forward but regaining their balance quickly. The wind was blowing hard now, creating a white cloud around them.

“Just keep moving!” She yelled back, not having much time to think of a strategy.

There were a few burnt houses ahead of them, so Abby and Manny decided to cut through the rubble and see if they could lose some of the infected. But it was useless. They were coming from every direction, crawling over the broken windows and what was left of the wooden barricades.

“Shit.” Abby breathed out and she jumped over a ledge with Manny “Just keep following the stream!”

They crossed a half-frozen river, the iced water hitting Abby’s shins like razors, but it was their best shot at getting out of there. The infected were relentless, tripping over each other, their screams making a loud cacophony that made it sound like there were thousands of them.

“There, over that truck!” Abby pointed out and they both climbed over it, landing on a fenced yard full of rusted containers.

“Fuck, where to now?” Manny looked around, searching for a way out of that labyrinth.

“The gate.” Abby was already moving as the infected started climbing the fence to get them “Let’s try to lose them in that old building.”

Manny followed her quickly; it was a waste of time to stop and try shooting them anyway. They squeezed through a tight gap in one of the fences leading inside, dropping some boxes and old tires to block the way, but some runners had already spotted them on the other side. There were no doors and all the windows were too high for them to reach them, so Abby and Manny just kept going forward, looking for a way inside.

“Here, rápido!” Manny made his way through a back alley, keeping his back to the wall as the infected started to gather on the other side of the fence.

Abby was right behind him, moving as fast as she could, but the fence was giving in due to all the weight of the runners “Goddammit!” She was crouching now, evading the runners’ frenetic hands trying to grab her through the holes, but one of them still managed to get a hold on her beanie, and Abby let out a yelp, urging Manny to go faster. But as he was getting to the other side, a runner slipped through a gap on the fence and launched itself on top of him.

“Manny!” She yelled, but before Abby could do anything about it, the fence gave in a little more and another runner got through, topping her in a matter of seconds “Get off me!” She pushed it hard with her arm on its neck, keeping it from biting her, but Abby could feel another one grabbing her foot. She thought of going for her gun behind her back, but moving her arm would give the runner the upper hand and she didn’t have the strength to hold it off for too long.

Suddenly, a loud bang came from her left side and not a second later, another gunshot next to her head made her ears ring, and Abby felt the runner on top of her go still.

“Gimme your hand!” A deep voice yelled from behind her and as Abby tried to process what the hell was happening, someone grabbed her arm, helping her to her feet.

She saw Manny getting up too, pushing the dead runner away from him, and then she finally looked at the person who had just saved them. It was an old man, with grizzly hair and a thick beard, holding tight to his revolver.

“There’s too many of them!” She heard Manny say as he shot a couple of times at the runners trying to get over the fence.

“This way!” Another man yelled from behind them, opening a double door that led inside the building “We’re gonna have to run!”

Not having much of a choice, Abby and Manny followed the two men inside, since it was either move or die. Running through the corridor ahead, they all stopped in their tracks when a bunch of infected knocked open a door on the other end.

“Ah shit. Hold up!” The other man said, already pulling out a molotov from inside his backpack. After lighting up the cloth, he threw it at the runners in front of them and Abby felt Manny pushing her away.

“This way, c’mon!” He pointed her to another door, where the old man was already trying to get it open.

“Go, go!” The man yelled as she and Manny got inside. There was a fallen vending machine on the ground and Abby pushed it to block the door once all of them managed to get in.

“Y’all okay?” The old man asked as he scanned the room for any openings.

“Yeah. Thanks for the save.” Manny replied a bit out of breath.

“Don’t thank us yet.” The other man said, and looking up close, Abby could see that he also had a beard, but kept his hair on a short ponytail and was a bit younger than the other guy “We still need to get the hell outta here.”

Looking around, Abby noticed that they were probably in the building’s canteen, since the place was full of tables and chairs blocking the windows, along with broken fridges and other kitchen equipment.

“Any idea on how do we do that?” The old man turned to his friend.

“Well, I reckon we go out the back. We can make a break for the lodge.” Ponytail guy explained, already moving to the other side of the room.

“You guys have any ammo left?” Abby heard the other one ask and she answered with a quick _yes_ “Good. We’re gonna need it.”

The moment he finished his sentence, a runner broke the wooden barricades on one of the windows and got inside. Abby saw as Manny grabbed a lose pipe from a ruined wall and hit it right in the head, probably trying to save his shots.

“Goddammit, they’re everywhere!” Another runner made it inside and the ponytail guy shot him clean with a head shot “Get to the door!”

Abby and Manny didn’t waste time moving and got it open for the other two. Taking a wrench that was on the ground, Manny blocked the door’s handles in a hurry, hearing the screams from the runners on the other side.

“This ain’t gonna hold ‘em for long. We gotta hurry.” One of the men said and Abby started to look around. They were in a large room of what probably used to be the station of a ski lodge, since there were many rusted cable cars around, some of them still hanging from the steel cables.

“Over there. The window.” Manny pointed to the only window that wasn’t barricaded, but it was too high for any of them to reach.

“You see a way up there?” Abby asked, eager to just get the hell out of there and get her mind focused again on her mission.

“Here, we can use this!” Ponytail guy yelled next to a fallen cable car “Let’s push it up onto the cart.”

It was a good idea, since they could push the cart towards the window and then climb on top of the cable car to reach the other side. But the infected had other plans, as they started to get inside the room.

“Go, I’ll help him out!” Manny went to the guy’s side and they started to push the cart up.

“You two just keep those infected offa us!” Ponytail guy didn’t have to say twice before Abby was already with her gun in hand, aiming at a runner.

She and the old man stood back to back, trying to cover as much of the room as possible while more infected swarmed inside. Abby shot a few more rounds, taking down more runners before another one fell from the ceiling almost on top of her. Knowing a melee weapon would be more effective, Abby grabbed the machete that was tied to her backpack and sliced the runner’s neck in one swift move.

“Goddammit!” She heard the old man as he was getting surrounded. Abby didn’t waste time and ran towards him, sinking her blade into a runner’s skull and pushing the other one off the guy, who finish it off with a gunshot “Clicker behind you!” the old man yelled, reloading his revolver as fast as he could.

Abby turned around, seeing a clicker shrieking towards them with its arms wild and before it could get any closer, she threw the machete right at its chest, making the clicker back away a few steps. A few seconds later, the old man shot it three times with no hesitation in the head and the infected fell on the ground. Abby was grateful that he was a good shot, otherwise this whole thing would be a lot more difficult.

“I’m runnin’ low, Tommy!” The old man yelled, circling the room as he tried to get away from the infected.

Something snapped inside Abby’s head. Had she heard that name right? Did he say _Tommy_?

“Just need another minute!” The man groaned as he pushed the heavy cart with Manny, getting closer to the window “Hang in there!”

“Hey, watch out!” Abby shook her head a little, focusing back to reality when the old man shoved a runner away from her “Are you still with us?”

Abby nodded, not having enough time to think straight “Yeah.” She grabbed a broken pipe that was on the floor and hit back a couple more runners as a pile of bodies started to gather around them.

“We got it! C’mon!” Manny yelled and Abby rushed towards him, trying to dodge from the infected falling from the ceiling.

“Let’s go!” Ponytail guy jumped to the other side, followed by the three of them.

The weather had gotten worse outside, the storm hitting at full force now. They were on what it seemed to be a parking lot, with many cars and buses half-buried on the snow.

“Where are we going?” Manny asked and helped Abby get on her feet after she jumped from the window.

“It’s this way! Just stick close to us!” The two men started to run since the infected were still coming from all sides.

Abby followed them, escaping from runners that were climbing on top of the cars trying to reach them. _How big is this horde?_ , she thought as she fired her gun at the infected that were getting too close. She and Manny were so sure that they’d be able to stick to their plan with no major issues, but now they were caught in a horde in the middle of a storm, having no idea where the hell they were going to. The only thing she knew was that they needed to survive at all costs.

“There, through those doors!” Ponytail guy yelled and pointed ahead, rushing through the doubled red door of what appeared to be an old lodge. Abby frowned for a second; it definitely looked like the outpost they had been watching from the chalet. Getting inside, Manny and the old man grabbed a piece of wood and barricaded the door, the infected slamming against it on the other side.

“Alright.” Ponytail guy breathed out, seeing they had gained a couple of minutes “I’m Tommy. And that’s Joel. You two got names?”

Abby froze in place, a chilling shiver running through her spine and not even outside into the blizzard she had felt this cold. So she had heard it right the first time. That man was indeed Tommy and the old man beside him was his brother. _Joel Miller._ She had found him.

“I’m Manny.” She heard Manny say, probably sensing that she couldn’t make out any words in her current state “And this is my friend Abby.”

“Well, Manny and Abby, are you okay?” Tommy asked, this time turning to Abby since she had gone pale all of a sudden.

“Yeah.” Abby managed to get it out, her eyes moving from Tommy’s face to the back of Joel head, who was still guarding that door “We’re good.”

“That ain’t gonna hold.” Joel said, seeing the door tremble with the weight of the infected outside “We gotta go back.”

“We ain’t gonna outrun them all the way to Jackson.” Tommy reasoned back, and Abby exchanged a quick look with Manny, who had probably also realized who those two guys were “We need to barricade the doors.”

Tommy hadn’t even finished his sentence when they heard a loud bang on the back door, that was also on the verge of breaking “Tommy, we cannot stay here!” Joel said as they were running out of time.

“The horses won’t make it all-”

“My friend.” Abby interrupted him “My friend is at a chalet just north of here. We were camping out there.” She looked at Manny again, trying to see if he was following her train of thought.

“Yeah, it’s fenced and we got the whole perimeter secured.” Manny backed her up.

Tommy and Joel looked at each other, probably thinking on what their next move would be “It’s the Baldwin’s place. That could work.” Joel said and Tommy nodded, already moving to the front door where two horses were waiting, clearly agitated.

“Let’s go then, you can ride with me.” He said, pushing the door open so the horses could get through.

Before following them, Abby felt Manny grab her arm and whisper closely to her ear “Let’s just make it out of this in one piece first, okay?” She nodded, watching him follow Tommy outside and climb on the back of his horse.

“C’mon!” Joel yelled when the door behind them finally cracked and some of the infected started to squeeze through the gap. Abby swallowed hard, knowing what she had to do, and climbed on the back of Joel’s horse, the animal urging forward as they left the outpost and a pack of infected behind.

Tommy was a few meters ahead with Manny and it was hard to see with the snow storm still raging on. Abby looked behind her, and she could still hear the runners coming.

“We gotta lose them!” She yelled, starting to think they weren’t going to make it to the chalet.

“Just hold on tight.” Joel yelled back, making a quick turn to where Tommy had gone.

Abby had to do something to hold off the infected or at least distract some of them so the horses could gain some more ground. She then remembered the pipe bombs she had inside her backpack and decided to put them to use. Trying her best not to fall off the animal, she managed to bring her backpack to her chest and open it, one hand holding tightly to Joel’s own bag “What are you doing?” She heard him say when she flicked her lighter a couple of times, trying to light the bombs.

“Just get close to that slope!” She yelled as they approached a heavily snow covered slope. They were following a narrow trail, so Abby was hoping the bombs could make some of the snow fall off and block the way back.

“What?” Joel turned slightly to look at her.

“Just do it!” Abby yelled again and Joel must have seen the bombs, because he nudged the horse to move right, getting close enough to the wall so Abby could stick two bombs inside the ice.

They continued to sprint forward and after a few seconds, an explosion echoed through the air and, looking back, Abby saw that a huge amount of snow had fallen from the slope, blocking the trail. She sighed in relief and now they were being chased maybe by less than a dozen, which raised their chances at making it.

“Over there!” She heard Manny yelling in front of them, but it was getting harder and harder to see. Abby hoped that Nora was keeping watch and was able to see them approach the chalet.

And it seemed like luck was on Abby’s side, because when they got closer to the gate, she could see Nora’s silhouette on the other side, blurred by the heavy storm.

“Open up!” Manny yelled “Open the gate!”

She must have recognized his voice, because Nora hurried to open the gate and the two horses made their way inside in a flash. Tommy and Manny jumped off, and while her friend went to the garage, Tommy rushed to Nora’s side to help her close the gate again. Getting off the saddle too, Abby grabbed her gun and aimed at the infected who were already approaching the metal bars, ready to shoot.

“Save your bullets!” Manny got out of the garage holding a couple of molotovs and threw them at the infected that had gathered by the gate. Despite the harsh wind, the fire consumed them quickly, their loud shrieks fading away slowly as they burned. _That was close_ , Abby sighed, finally catching her breath.

“Let’s get inside.” Nora said, reaching for Abby as they all headed to the garage “You scared me.” The young doctor said quietly, her eyes full of questions as she scanned Abby’s face.

“I know.” But Abby just reassured her with a light squeeze on her shoulder, not having time to explain everything now.

Manny closed the garage door once everyone was inside, and Abby watched as Tommy and Joel calmed their horses after that crazy journey, patting some of the snow off the animals’ mane and coat.

“How are you guys doing?” Nora asked them, completely unaware of whom those men were, and Abby just took a deep breath, entering the chalet so she could gather her thoughts. She needed a plan. And fast.

“We’re good. Thanks.” She heard Tommy answer.

“You wanna take those saddles off?” Nora offered but Joel was quick to decline.

“No, it’s alright. We’ll just ride out the storm and get out of your hair.” He said, his voice echoing on Abby’s head. He was there, he was finally there, not even ten feet away from her, and Abby tried to calm herself down, a mix of anxiety, fear and anger settling on the pit of her stomach.

“How did y’all get electricity in here?” Tommy asked and Abby heard footsteps approaching the room.

“There are solar panels on the roof.” Manny explained and Abby wondered how he could be so calm. Perhaps he was a good actor after all. “Let’s get inside, warm up a bit. I could definitely use a drink right now.”

Manny lightened the mood and Abby could see the smile on their faces as the four of them entered the room, with Nora closing the door behind her.

“Been staying here for long?” Tommy asked, looking around the room. There wasn’t much there aside from some furniture, since they had kept most of their stuff on the living room upstairs, where the fireplace was, but Abby knew Tommy had noticed their truck parked on the garage.

“A couple of days, yeah. We’re just passing through.” Manny said, leaning casually on a dresser next to where Tommy was. His eyes kept meeting Abby’s, a silent conversation being held between the two of them, a result of many years of knowing each other and working together. Manny was just waiting for her to make a move so he could follow.

“You’re a bit far away from your home base, huh?” Joel pointed his chin up to where Abby was standing, hands leaning on the counter behind her. She followed his gaze down to her right arm, where a WLF patch was seamed to her jacket. Abby looked back at him and she should’ve expected him to notice that.

“Yeah, we were sent on a mission here, but we’re already heading back west.” Nora explained and it wasn’t exactly a lie “You two live nearby?”

“We do. A few hours down the hill.” Tommy explained “Y’all should come back with us. Restock before you head out.” He sounded friendly and Abby wanted to roll her eyes. This was turning out to be easier than she had expected and they wouldn’t even need to get inside Jackson like they were planning before.

Nora smiled a little “We appreciate it. I’m Nora, by the way.” She offered her hand and Tommy gladly took it.

“Tommy. And this is my brother.” He smiled and pointed to the old man.

“Joel.” He nodded and Abby saw the exact moment when realization washed over Nora’s face. Her eyes widened and she stared at Joel, mouth slightly agape.

He let out a puff of air and a flicker of a smile crossed his lips “You’re acting like you’ve heard of me or something.” He told Nora awkwardly.

Abby was quick to reply “Cause she has.” Already holding a shotgun that was behind her on the counter, she gave it one pump and blew Joel’s right knee off with one shot before any of them could do anything about it.

“No!” Tommy shouted but Manny punched him once and grabbed him from behind, holding him tight. Nora reacted quickly too, and hit Tommy multiple times in the head with the back of her pistol.

“Tommy!” Joel groaned in pain as he watched his brother lose consciousness and fall on the floor like a sack of potatoes when Manny let him go.

“All clear?” Abby asked without taking her eyes off Joel.

“Yeah, he’s out.” Nora cleaned some droplets of blood that had splashed on her face and turned to her friend.

Manny stepped closer to her too, watching as Joel contorted himself on the floor “ _Puta madre_ , Abby.” He stared at the huge hole on Joel’s leg where his knee used to be, since now it was hanging literally by a thread.

“Put him against the wall.” Abby said, her shotgun still aimed at her father’s killer.

Nora had her pistol ready too, so Manny grabbed Joel by his shoulders and dragged him to the nearest wall, leaving a blood trail on the carpet “Get off me!” Joel said between his teeth, but it was clear he didn’t have enough strength to fight back in that moment.

Manny let him go, dusting his hands on the back of his pants, and took a step back to stand beside Nora. Abby held her shotgun to Joel as he raised his chin defying her and the blonde had to fight the urge to not just blow his head off right there. But that would be too easy and Abby didn’t want this to end it so fast.

“Tourniquet his leg.” She asked Nora, who hesitated for a few moments “Do it!” The young doctor moved at Abby’s more demanding words and removed her belt, giving her pistol to Manny.

She knelt next to Joel’s wounded leg and the man groaned once again in pain “Don’t you fucking move, pendejo.” Manny threatened him with the pistol.

“Goddammit!” Joel started breathing heavily through his nose as Nora worked on his leg. That should buy him some time, because Abby didn’t want him to pass out from blood loss, at least not before they both had a little conversation. After finishing with her task, Nora got up and stepped away, giving Abby all the space she needed. The blonde finally lowered her gun and took a good look at the man in front of her. Joel was much older than she expected, his gray hair falling on the left side of his forehead, but she was glad to finally put a face on the man who had been haunting her dreams for the past four years.

“Joel Miller.” Abby spat out his name like it was burning her tongue. She crouched in front of him to look straight into his eyes, not surprised when Joel didn’t even flinch at her gaze.

“Who are you?” He asked not taking his eyes off of her.

Abby opened her jacket a bit and took a small piece of metal from under her collar “Guess.” She let her Firefly pendant hang by her neck, the symbol catching Joel’s attention. He then looked up at Manny and Nora and probably wondered if they were former Fireflies too.

“Of course.” He breathed out, resting his head on the wall behind him.

“Yeah…” Abby continued “And you thought you could just live your life here on the countryside, like nothing had ever happened, huh?”

Joel swallowed hard and raised his chin again “Why don’t you say whatever speech you’ve got rehearsed and get this over with?”

Abby bit the inside of her cheeks and got up, taking a few steps back as Joel watched her every move. She removed her backpack from her shoulders and then took off her gloves, throwing them on the couch.

“What do we do with this one?” Manny asked and Abby turned her attention to Tommy, still passed out cold.

“Just tie him to that old pipe.” Abby pointed at the back of the room like it was no big deal and then removed her jacket too, not letting go of her gun for a second.

“Tommy!” Joel called out for his brother “Don’t you fucking touch him!” He grunted when Manny and Nora dragged the guy away.

“You stupid old man.” Abby approached Joel again, holding her shotgun by its barrel “You don’t make the calls here.” And with one good swing, Abby hit the side of Joel’s head with the back of her gun, making his scream echo in the room.

He fell on his side, holding himself by his elbows, and coughed a mouthful of blood on the floor. Abby let out a buff of air she didn’t know she was holding, feeling her blood pump through her veins as images of her father lying dead covered in blood flooded her mind. This was what she wanted, to make Joel pay for what he had done to her, for all the pain she had to go through all these years.

“You murdered my father… He was just trying to do the right thing, but you shot him in cold blood in that operation room, you selfish prick!” Abby finished her sentence with another hit to his face, blood splashing from his mouth as he cried out. Joel stumbled to his side again, having more trouble to keep himself upright after two strikes.

Still, he looked up at her, blood sticking to his beard and hair “It was not his decision to make.”

“But it was yours?” Abby smashed him one more time, the weight of the gun this time making Joel hit the floor completely, laying on his chest.

Abby was breathing hard, her sweaty hands still holding the shotgun by its barrel, blood dripping from the other end. More images from the hospital flashed through her mind as Joel’s words made her think of Marlene and her father’s argument right before the surgery. _And you’re okay with killing her?_ , her former leader had said that day when Abby was listening through the door. They were arguing about the procedure and how making a vaccine would kill the immune girl in the process. _If this was your daughter, what would you do?_ Marlene’s words echoed inside her head and Abby shut her eyes tightly, trying not to think about that, not right now. It was for a greater cause and her father wouldn’t have backed down, she knew it. She… She just _knew_ it.

She opened her eyes again, feeling them get wet, and she hated herself for not being able to keep her feelings at bay in that moment “You brought this on yourself.” She said through gritted teeth and raised her arm for another strike, but before she could do it, Abby heard Joel mumble something under his breath, his bloody lips moving slowly “What did you say?” She lowered herself next to his head and waited for him to repeat himself.

“I did…what I had to…” He slurred the words out, but they only made Abby’s blood boil even more. _I’ve had enough of this_ , she mused and got up again.

Taking one deep breath, Abby swung the shotgun one last time and smashed the grip on Joel’s head, hitting him hard enough to hear the crack of his skull. More blood started to pool beneath his head, making the red stain on the carpet to grow larger by the seconds, and Abby simply stared at him, watching the rise and fall of his chest become more and more shallow.

“The storm will fade away soon.” Abby’s mind was so far away that she didn’t even notice Nora approaching her “They might send a search party for them. We can’t stay here for long.” Nora said and touched Abby’s arm to make sure the blonde had heard her “Abby?”

“It’s over.” She finally snapped back to reality and swallowed hard “We’re done here.” Abby let the shotgun fall to the floor, probably ruined by now, and stepped away from Joel’s body.

“What about this guy? We can’t just lea-”

“I said we’re done, Manny.” Abby cut her friend off as he talked about Tommy “Let’s just pack our stuff and go.” She left no room for an argument and he just nodded.

Leading the way, Abby climbed up the stairs to the upper floor, her boots leaving bloody footprints on the carpet.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading and, once again, I would love to hear your thoughts on the comments below, it's always a pleasure to answer you guys.
> 
> Next chapter, let's go back to Ellie and see how her journey for revenge begins.
> 
> See you next time!
> 
> xx


	5. Stone Cold

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, guys!
> 
> Sorry for being late with this chapter x.x  
> I got real sick over the weekend and then the chapter turned out to be longer than I had expected, but here it is. Thank you all once again for all the support with this story, I really appreciate all of the hits and kudos.  
> See you on the end's notes. Hope you enjoy this one!
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 05 – Stone Cold**

**Ellie – Present Day**

There was a knock on her door, but Ellie ignored it. It sounded so far away, so she was sure it must’ve been in her dreams; besides, she could feel it was still early and no one would be up anyway at that time of the day. A few moments later, she heard the sound again, this time followed by a voice.

“Ellie! You up?” _Fuck_. Ellie opened her eyes and stared at the clock beside her bed. 6:37. _Fuck, fuck, fuck_. She was definitely late for her patrol.

She got out of bed with a groan, not really in the mood to deal with all the cold. When Ellie finally opened the door, she was met with a smug Jesse staring at her, leaning casually on the doorway “Morning.” He smiled, clearly amused.

“Sorry, I totally overslept. Just give me a minute and I’ll get dressed.” Ellie explained, her voice still thick with sleep.

“What happened to /I’m never late to patrol/, huh?” Jesse teased her, but she just scoffed and closed the door before he could crack another joke.

Ellie headed over to the bathroom and regretted even more being awake when the freezing water hit her face. _Fuck me_ , she groaned again and dried herself with a towel. After a restless night, she was feeling pretty tired; all the stress from the encounter with Seth at the ski lodge mixed with her fight with Joel had really taken a toll on her, so she felt like she hadn’t relaxed at all during her sleep. At least she had managed to talk to Joel and work some things out with him; well, she knew they still had a long way to go, but at least the first step had been taken.

“So are we heading to the Creek Trails today?” Ellie asked while she grabbed her coat and gloves.

“Actually, no.” Jesse replied from outside “We’re relieving Joel and Tommy. There were reports from infected out north so they headed out early to scout the area.”

“Oh. That sucks.” Ellie grabbed her pistol and her journal, stuffing them inside her backpack, and went for her boots by the door.

“Yeah, I can’t imagine they got much sleep.” Jesse continued “Definitely not as much as you.”

“Shut up.” Ellie rolled her eyes even though she knew he couldn’t see her “I was just about to get up.”

Taking her jackknife and putting it inside her back pocket, Ellie opened the door and headed outside, feeling to cold air hit her skin. It was going to be one of those days, she could feel it in her bones, literally.

“Got everything?” Jesse asked as he started to walk towards the gate that led to the greenhouses.

“Yeah.” Ellie followed him, not before taking a quick glance at Joel’s window on the second floor of his house.

Closing the gate behind her, Ellie continued on the path through the greenhouses; a lot of people were already working on them, since the vegetables required extra care during the harsh weather.

“So, uh…” Jesse turned his head slightly to talk to her “Heard Seth gave you and Cat shit yesterday.”

“Ugh…” Ellie really didn’t want to talk about that so early in the morning.

Jesse sent her an apologizing look “Sorry, I heard him lash out on Maria on my way to her office.”

“He’s a fucking piece of shit, that’s just it.” Ellie was going to make sure she would never have to look at his face again if she could help it.

“I don’t doubt it. Either way, Maria wants to have a word with you.” Jesse said as they reached the main street “She’s by the stables.”

“Really?” Ellie sighed “Is it about Seth?”

“No clue.” Jesse shrugged and pointed towards the diner “Hey, wanna grab some breakfast first?”

“I’ll pass. Let’s just get this over with.” She continued on, passing by the daycare. She thought of Cat and how they haven’t talked since they got back from patrol the day before. Ellie had gotten really pissed and she didn’t want to lash out on her, so she had decided to stay away for the rest of the day. But today after she got back, she was definitely going after her girlfriend to make sure everything was okay between them.

“There she is.” Jesse spotted Maria’s blonde hair by the fence near the stables’ entrance “I’ll get the horses and then we meet by the gates, okay?”

“Got it.” Ellie nodded and approached Maria, who greeted with a smile.

“Hey, Ellie. How are you?” She said.

“I’m fine, yeah. Jesse said you wanted to talk to me?” Ellie scratched her neck “If this is about Seth, we did nothing wrong, he was the one who started with his bullshit.”

“Ellie, I know. Calm down, okay?” The older woman put a hand on Ellie’s shoulder “Seth may be one of the first members of our community, but I know he’s hard to handle sometimes.”

“More like all of the time…” Ellie mumbled, but earned a stern look from Maria.

“Listen, Joel told me what happened. And I know you two haven’t been in good terms lately, but…” Ellie was going to interrupt her, but Maria was faster “But the guy really cares about you. I’ve pulled Seth out of the patrols and he will be working indoors for a while. Just don’t let this get over your head, alright?”

“Yeah, sure.” Ellie was kinda glad this whole ordeal didn’t involve Seth’s bigot ass trying to apologize to her or something. If anything, she should be granted the chance to punch him in the face.

“Okay. Now you be safe out there. There’s been too many sightings of infected lately.” Maria opened the gate so Ellie could enter the stables.

“I’ll be. Thanks.” Ellie said her goodbyes and went to meet Jesse, who was already waiting for her with Shimmer and a hunting rifle for her.

With everything set, they both climbed on their horses and headed off to the outpost they had been assigned to.

.

.

.

.

“So, how’s Dina? Is she heading out today too?” Ellie asked as they followed a trail into the forest around Jackson.

“Yeah, she’s pretty good.” Jesse said and jumped over a fallen log with his horse “She’s scheduled with Chrissy to check the Creek Trails later. Maia sent them over there since we’ll be busy with this route today.”

“Oh. And she used to do that one with Eugene, right? That’s a bummer.” Ellie thought of the old man, who died of a stroke not only a month ago.

“I know, right? They had become really good friends, but… Well, I guess dying of old age nowadays is considered to be a privilege.” Jesse was right and Ellie knew it. Reaching 70 certainly wasn’t for many in the current state of the world.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to get that too.” Ellie said, despite not really believing that she could do it, judging by all the shit she had been through being only 19.

“I like that optimistic side of yours.” Jesse smiled and then pointed up ahead “We’re almost there, c’mon.”

They picked up their paces with the horses and reached the first location; it was an old broadcast site, with a huge antenna next to the main building. It wasn’t exactly an outpost, but they took advantage of the height levels to scan the whole perimeter and take a better look at their surroundings.

“Shit, I can see some of them by the gate.” Ellie slowed down her horse before the infected could notice them.

“Maybe something attracted them.” Jesse got off his horse, hitching him on one of the trees “Some animal, maybe?”

“Could be.” Ellie already had her gun ready “Let’s do it silently.”

Flanking the runners that were wondering around the gate, Jesse and Ellie managed to kill them quietly, their sharps knives making the job easy. Now closer to the gate, they could hear what had caught their attention; one of the metal plates on the antenna had bent forward, and the harsh wind was making it hit the side of the building multiple times, creating a loud, reverberating sound.

“That’s unfortunate.” Jesse looked up, probably thinking on what to do “Bring the horses inside, I’ll try to find some rope so we can tie that metal plate.”

“Alright.” Ellie went back to grab the animals, bringing them inside and closing the gate. Jesse was already inside, on the third floor, where one of the windows were broken, making possible for them to reach the antenna outside.

After finding a rope, they tied the end of the metal plate that was hanging forward to one of the metal bars of the antenna, double checking the knot so the thing wouldn’t fall on anyone’s head later.

“I guess this will do.” Jesse said, pushing some of his hair off his face after all the effort “Lucky thing not many of the infected gathered around.”

“Yeah, but we can’t say the same about the shack by the frozen lake.” Ellie had already climbed the ladder that led to the next level of the antenna, where it was still safe to stand, and was looking through the lens of her binoculars “Over there, can you see it?” She passed the object to Jesse when he climbed behind her and scanned the place as well.

“Well, damn. That’s a lot of ‘em.” Jesse frowned, checking the shack. A few miles from them, there was a lake that would freeze during winter, with an abandoned shack near it. They would never really go there since it was a pretty open place and they could scan it from the antenna, but now there were maybe a dozen infected roaming the place, some of them slipping and falling on the slippery ice of the lake.

“Think we should head back and call for back up?” Ellie asked, following Maria’s advice of never facing more infected that they could handle if it was possible.

“Let’s take a closer look and head over to the outpost first. Maybe on the way back, Tommy and Joel can help us take ‘em out.” Jesse suggested, putting the binoculars down.

“Okay, let’s get a move on then.” Ellie climbed down the stairs and went inside the building “Is it just me or the temperature suddenly dropped?”

“Yeah, I think a storm is coming.” Jesse rubbed the side of his arms “Let’s find those two before it gets bad.”

Ellie and Jesse got back to their horses and after securing the entrance again, they followed the trail that led to the lake. The wind picked up a little and Ellie put her hoodie over her head, but it was impossible to escape the cold.

“Stay close!” Jesse yelled, his horse just a white blur ahead of Ellie.

“Shit! Are you sure we’re gonna make it?” Ellie yelled back, feeling how Shimmer was sinking deeper into the snow as they moved forward.

“Alright!” Jesse made a sudden stop, turning his horse toward Ellie “Let’s just head over to the gas station and wait for them there.”

“What about the infected on the lake? They might disperse!” With the storm, Ellie was worried the runners and clickers would scatter around and reach other outposts.

“We’ll come back after the storm or we might get lost! Just follow me!” Jesse turned left and went over a slope in the direction of the gas station.

Not really having the time to think of a better idea, Ellie just followed him, and the weather got even worse. After a few more minutes, they reached the old gas station and Jesse was quick to open the door of the convenience store they turned into an outpost. Ellie got off Shimmer and led him inside, and then helped Jesse close the door.

“Fuck. I didn’t think it would hit us so fast.” Ellie complained, brushing off the snow from her coat as Jesse did the same.

“Let’s just sit it out and wait for Tommy and Joel. Mind logging us in while I check the fireplace?”

“Yes, sir.” Ellie smiled and headed over to the logbook. She wrote about the small setback at the broadcast building and the infected around the lake. When she made it to the back of the store, Jesse had managed to get the fire started and was sitting casually on one of the seats.

“Make yourself comfortable.” He said and Ellie took off her gloves, taking in the place. She wasn’t used to this route much, so everything was kind of new to her.

“Wow, this guy was a true traveler.” She was looking at a bunch of pictures on the walls, some of them fading with time, but she could still see the landscapes and landmarks on them “I’m pretty sure some of these places aren’t even in America.”

“Pretty cool, huh?” She heard Jesse say from his seat “Check the one with the waterfalls.”

“Holy shit!” Ellie got close to the picture, where a bearded man smiled happily with two kids under his arms and a huge waterfall behind them “Is this for real?”

“Yup. It’s a place called Niagara Falls, in Canada. I actually wanna go there one day.” He admitted and Ellie turned around to look at him.

“Really? You seem like such a Jackson guy.” Jesse huffed at Ellie’s words.

“Well, everyone got their dreams. Maybe I can convince Dina to go when our kid is older or something… I don’t know, I just think it’d be nice to get to know other places even though the world is so messed up.” Ellie was watching Jesse talk with a grin on her face “What?” He asked, a bit confused.

Ellie just laughed and sat on the couch in front of him “You’re such a Dad already. Making plans for family trips and all…” She teased him and he rolled his eyes.

“Shut up.” He was going to get something from his backpack but stopped when Ellie continued.

“But yeah, I… I think that would be pretty awesome. And if the kid is anything like you and Dina, I’m sure they're gonna love it.” Ellie really meant that. She knew both of her friends got a bit scared when Dina found out that she was pregnant, but after all the support they got from Jesse’s parents and the community, they embraced the idea completely.

“Thanks, man.” Jesse smiled back and finally opened his backpack, taking out something wrapped on a white cloth.

“That smells good. What is it?” Ellie felt her stomach rumble.

“A couple of sandwiches I got from the diner before heading to your place.” He said casually “Why? You’re regretting having skipped breakfast now?”

“Just pass me one of them, you jerk.” They both laughed and Jesse threw her one of the sandwiches.

They spent the next half an hour just talking and cracking jokes, the storm outside slowly dying out. When they stopped hearing the wind on the windows, they decided to check if things were clear again. They went back to where the horses were in the front of the store, seeing how the snow had covered half of the glass door.

“Help me out here.” Jesse was trying to push it open and Ellie gave him a hand. The snow scattered around the entrance when they managed to open the door, but at least the storm had stopped for good outside.

Jesse cleared a path for the horses and they all headed outside to wait for Joel and Tommy “They should be here soon.” Jesse said, checking out the sky above him “Must’ve have found some shelter nearby.”

Ellie just nodded and they waited. And waited. For a long time. Ellie was sick of sitting still and if she was going to be honest to herself, she was starting to worry a bit.

“Alright, enough. We’ve been waiting for like, an hour or something? They should have been here already.” She walked to the middle of the old road, looking around.

“They must be close. We don’t know if the storm blocked some of the trails near the mountain.” Jesse replied.

“Fuck that. Let’s just look for them.” She made her way to Shimmer.

“Ellie…” Jesse sighed, but she was already on top of her horse.

“C’mon. Let’s check the lake. If they’re really close, we’ll probably bump into them on the way.” Ellie explained and Jesse had no choice but to follow her.

They stayed on the trail that led to the frozen lake, the path now much more dangerous because of all the recent snowfall, but it wasn’t hard to get there. Thing is, none of the infected they had seen from the binoculars were there anymore.

“That’s weird.” Jesse said, looking around “Think they fell into the lake?”

“No, I don’t see any holes or cracks.” Ellie approached the shack with Shimmer, but it was empty too “Maybe the storm pushed them somewhere else. Let’s keep going.”

“Ellie. Maybe we should just head back and get the others. Maybe Tommy and Joel even made their way back too.” Jesse was trying to think of a better option.

“Without checking the gas station first? No way, they’re still out here.” Ellie reasoned “What if they ran into all of those infected? They might be in trouble.”

Jesse sighed and scratched his neck “Alright. But stay close.” Ellie nodded and they both continued on following the trail.

There was nothing up ahead of them but trees and fallen snow; even the animals seemed to have disappeared for the time being. Ellie was getting really worried now, because Tommy and Joel were always on time and she knew they would have come back for help if they had ran into more infected than they could handle. It had happened before and then they got back to clear them with a bigger group. Maybe it had been the storm that caught everyone shorthanded.

“What’s that? Looks like a house.” Ellie pointed out, trying to get a better view through the trees.

“It’s an abandoned chalet.” Jesse said and Ellie was already getting off her horse.

“C’mon, let’s check it out. They could be inside.” She tied Shimmer so he wouldn’t wonder away and walked over to the edge of the hill.

Getting a better overview of the chalet, Ellie could see burned infected corpses on the ground just outside of the gate. _What had happened there?_ She thought, clearly worried. Ellie knew Tommy and Joel were more than capable of handling themselves, but fighting large numbers of infected could get tricky, especially if caught in the middle of a snowstorm. She couldn’t hear anything else other than the wind blowing on her ears, but it didn’t mean the place was clear; they should be careful.

“You think Joel and Tommy did that?” Jesse stood next to her, eyes on the dead infected by the gate.

“It’s possible. Tommy always carries molotovs with him.” Ellie was hopeful, not really letting her mind picture a bad scenario “Let’s find a way down.”

They started walking downwards, their feet sinking deeply into the snow as they moved. The storm had passed, but it was still freezing cold and Ellie wanted nothing more than find the two guys and head back to Jackson as soon as possible.

“There, I think we can get through that fence.” Jesse pointed out and they slipped carefully down a slope, landing next to a broken fence. Jesse pushed aside a wooden panel so Ellie could squeeze through the gap and then followed her right behind.

“Have you been here before?” She asked him, getting her pistol off the holster as they approached the chalet from behind.

“Not really. We’ve passed by, but never made it this far.” Jesse also had his gun ready “Tommy said it’s been abandoned for years.”

“Well, let’s hope they found shelter inside.” Ellie jumped over a half-ruined wall and managed to get to the balcony. The glass door wasn’t locked, so all the girl had to do was push it open, the wind entering the room in a quick rush.

Ellie and Jesse made their way inside, trying not the make any sounds other than the creak of their boots of the floorboards. They got out of a suite room and scanned the place for any signs of their friends.

“How big is this place?” Jesse whispered, seeing there was a flight of stairs leading to the first floor.

“Huge, it seems.” Ellie was already making her way down.

The walls right under the stairs were covered in shelves with stacks of books on them and judging by the fancy furniture, Ellie guessed the place had belonged to wealthy people back in the old days. Large and tall glass windows decorated the main lounge and Ellie saw that one of the couches had been dragged to the front of the fireplace.

“Look.” Jesse kneeled next to it, his hands hovering over the pit “It’s still warm.”

Ellie looked around, searching for anything else that indicated that someone was there. She went over to the kitchen, but everything looked pretty much abandoned. She rounded the counter until she spotted something on the floor, leading out of a door in the back; there were bloody footprints on the carpet that faded away towards the living room.

“Jesse.” Ellie said and stood in front of the door, not really knowing what to expect. Maybe an infected had wondered around? But she hadn’t seen any broken doors or windows, everything was barricaded.

Her friend came up from behind her and Ellie pointed to the tracks on the floor. He simply nodded and got his gun ready “Careful.”

Ellie opened the door and was met with a flight of stairs leading to another door, which she assumed was the basement. Turning their flashlights on, Ellie and Jesse climbed down the steps slowly, seeing how the footprints became darker as they approached the door. Ellie swallowed hard as she reached for the doorknob, her gut feeling telling her that something was wrong. _Please be okay_ , she chanted on her mind. _Please_ …

After a few more seconds of hesitation, Ellie finally opened the door and stepped inside the room with her gun ready to shoot. But there wasn’t anyone there; no infected, no stragglers, just… Just Joel lying on the floor surrounded by a pool of blood. _No. No, no, no_. Ellie’s breath got caught up on her throat as she forced the air in and out of her lungs.

“Ellie.” She felt Jesse touching her arm, but she launched herself forward, getting away from his grasp.

“Joel!” Ellie’s knees hit the floor beside him as she felt something inside her break into a million pieces. _This couldn’t be happening_. “Joel…” she cried out, seeing that he wasn’t moving. His eyes were half opened and glassy, staring into the nothingness in front of them.

“Oh, Tommy!” She heard Jesse move in a hurry to the back of the room.

“Don’t look… Ellie, please…” Tommy’s low voice echoed through the basement, but it was too late; time seemed to have frozen in place and all Ellie could see was Joel’s dead body in front of her.

 _He was dead. He was_ … Ellie had trouble breathing, the bile rising up from her stomach as she felt her head spin. She couldn’t fix him, it wasn’t like she could just stitch him back up and wait for the antibiotics to kick in like she had done all those years ago. Now she realizes how lucky she had been then, because Joel wasn’t going to get up, not this time. She touched his brown coat with her trembling hands, feeling the wet blood stains her fingertips when she drag them across his shoulder. There was a huge gash on the left side of Joel’s head and when Ellie looked down at his torso, she also noticed how fucked up his leg was. She closed her eyes and choked down a sob, unable to keep the tears from flowing.

“No… Please, don’t…” She cried out again, leaning over his body. It wasn’t real, yeah, Ellie was sure of that. Joel wouldn’t do that, he wouldn’t leave her alone… She shut her eyes tightly, trying to make everything disappear – the basement, the chalet, the stupid storm that fucked with their rotation schedule. If it wasn’t for it, the four of them would probably be on their way back to Jackson, Tommy cracking jokes about Joel’s joints getting frozen during the winter or maybe Jesse laughing about the fact that Ellie decided to wear her boots for once and not her sneakers…

Ellie let out another sob. _This isn’t real, this isn’t real_. She felt a pair of hands hold her arm, pulling her gently; maybe it was Jesse or Tommy, she couldn’t tell. She wanted to fight, to push them away and scream and… But she didn’t have the strength to anymore. So she just let herself be carried away as Joel’s body remained still on the floor.

.

.

.

.

Ellie didn’t know how long she had been sitting on her bed, the only lights coming from the window, where the moonlight was making its way inside through the curtains. She could see her blurry reflection on the TV screen and for a moment she almost felt like a shadow, or a ghost. She closed her eyes, breathing heavily; even though the numbness had overcome her body, her mind was screaming so loud that Ellie thought she might have gotten insane. She could still hear Tommy’s words repeating in her head, over and over again.

_We sought shelter inside the chalet, they said they had been camping there for a couple of days, just the three of ‘em. There weren’t any signs of anyone else._

Even though Tommy didn’t want Ellie to hear about what exactly happened that day, she insisted on staying in the room when he reported everything to Maria. She wanted to, she needed to know about the person who killed Joel.

_The woman who was waiting in the chalet… Nora, was what she said. She was black, maybe on her late 20’s… She knocked me out with the back of her pistol while the other one was holding me. The man. Manny. He had a beard and dark hair on a bun. Seemed friendly, he had a um… A Spanish accent, if I’m not mistaken._

Nora and Manny. Ellie memorized the names, making sure they were engraved in the back of her head. Tommy was blaming himself for having trusted them so easily, but Ellie couldn’t blame him or even Joel. They had helped so many people that stumbled across Jackson’s perimeter; lone travelers, small groups passing by or seeking refuge, and while most of them have proven to be earnest folks, Ellie knew there was a risk of running into someone with bad intentions.

_And then there was the other woman. The one with the shotgun, she… She was younger than the other two, early twenties at the most. She was tall, long blonde hair on a tight braid. Abby. Her name was Abby._

Abby. Ellie’s blood boiled as she repeated mentally the name of the woman who had shot Joel. Tommy said everything happened so fast that they didn’t have time to react; one moment he was shaking the short girl’s hand, then a few seconds later the blonde one pulled out a shotgun and blew Joel’s knee off.

_They all seemed pretty healthy, well fed. They didn’t seem to be struggling, especially with the military truck they had parked at the garage._

Since that day, Ellie had been trying to guess who those people were and why they had travelled so far to kill Joel. It must have been intentional, because Ellie remembered Tommy saying that it was Joel saying his name that changed the people’s demeanor, as if it had triggered something in them. Ellie knew Joel had made a lot of enemies during his days as a smuggler, but why would someone go out of their way, years later, to seek him all the way to Jackson? And how did they find out about Joel’s location in the first place? Ellie had a million questions and she was going to answer all of them, one way or another.

There was knock on her door and she blinked a couple of times, aware of her surroundings again. She got up slowly, feeling her muscles sore from being in the same position for too long, and made her way to the door, being met with Tommy’s worried eyes as soon as she opened it.

“Hey.” He smiled a little, hands inside the pockets of his jacket. The bruise on his head was starting to fade away, the dark shade of red being replaced by a lighter shade of yellow and blue “May I come in?”

“Yeah.” Ellie stepped away to give him enough room “Did you talk to Maria?”

Tommy sighed, pressing his lips together “How are you?”

“I’m fine.” Ellie clearly lied, but she didn’t want to talk about it “So what did she say?”

Tommy lowered his head, probably searching for the right words, and then sat on the couch behind him “Come sit.”

Ellie complied, moving to sit next to him as they shared an awkward silence for a few moments. They had been postponing this conversation since Joel’s funeral a week ago, but Ellie was sick of waiting, sick of doing nothing but feeling miserable.

“You know she can’t stop us.” Ellie said. Even if Maria didn’t want them to go, Ellie had her mind set already and she was going after those three fuckers, even if that meant going by herself.

“To have the guys that we would need to do this smart…” Tommy started to explain, but Ellie was already shaking her head “We’d be leaving Jackson vulnerable.”

She frowned at him, but Tommy looked away, not being able to meet her eyes “So they just get to get away with this?” That was ridiculous, she couldn’t believe Tommy was about to let that happen.

“Nobody wants that.” He finally turned to her.

“Yeah, but that’s what happening.” Ellie couldn’t understand why this was even a matter of discussion.

Tommy sighed again “What if we get hit by hunters again?”

“Is this you talking or is this her?” Ellie’s sharp reply came quickly. She knew Jackson was Maria’s top priority, that had been clear the moment she met her all those 5 years ago, but this was about Joel. She just couldn’t believe Tommy would let her brother’s killer get away and not do anything about it. “If it were me or you, Joel would be halfway to Seattle already.” Ellie was absolutely certain of that. Joel would go to the end of the fucking world if it meant saving one of his own. So she had to do the same.

“Ellie…” Tommy tried to reason with her once again.

“And you fucking know that. You know he would.” Ellie felt her eyes get wet, but managed to hold herself together.

“We don’t know for certain that they’re from Seattle.” He insisted.

“Washington Liberation Front.” Ellie quoted Tommy’s own words to him “That’s what you said was on those patches. And that Joel even pointed out!”

“What if they stole those jackets?” Tommy’s nonsense made Ellie get up from the couch, completely in disbelief “What if the WLF moved?”

“What are you doing?” She raised her voice in exasperation. Tommy just stared at her, suddenly without any words left, and Ellie just shook her head, feeling disappointed and tired and… And just _done_ with everything “You know what?” She sniffled, wiping away a tear that had rolled down one of her cheeks “I’m leaving tomorrow. And if you wanna come with me, great.”

Tommy stayed silent for a few more seconds and Ellie just crossed her arms, waiting for his next excuse “You have no idea what you’re walking into. You don’t know how large that group is, how armed-”

“I don’t care.” Ellie didn’t even let him finish “You can’t talk me out of this.”

Ellie turned her back to Tommy, making clear that they were done. She started to fumble with some random stuff on her desk, grabbing her journal and a few bullets she had around to put inside her backpack to get ready for tomorrow. It was going to be hard to make it to Washington on foot, but if she didn’t manage to get Shimmer out of the stables, she would have to do it anyway.

“Okay.” She heard Tommy say behind her and she stilled her movements “I’m going with you.” Ellie then felt Tommy’s hand on her shoulder, making her turn back.

“And what if Maria says no?” Ellie questioned, because she was pretty sure his wife wasn’t going to let them do it.

“Then I’ll figure something out.” Tommy said with a tiny smile on his lips and pulled her for a hug “But I’m not letting you do this alone, alright?” Ellie nodded on his chest, letting herself be comforted for a few moments before pulling away, wiping a couple more tears that had escaped with the sleeve of her hoodie “Okay. We’ll leave tomorrow at 10. Just get some rest now.”

He patted her back once more and headed for the door. Ellie followed him so she could close it, but then she noticed that Tommy almost bumped into someone when he was leaving.

“Oh, I’m sorry, Cat. I didn’t see you here.” He apologized.

“No, it’s okay, I… I was just about to knock.” Cat watched him leave before turning to Ellie “Hi there.”

Ellie smiled a little and invited her in; they haven’t been spending much time together, not since… Ellie shook her head, trying not to think about that now.

“Here.” Cat handed her a bowl with some leftovers after she took off her coat “My mom wants to make sure you’re eating.”

“Thanks. That’s very kind of her.” Ellie grabbed a fork from one of her drawers and sat down on the couch; she really was hungry, but it’s not like her mind had been focused on her own needs lately.

“It’s your favorite.” Cat said as Ellie opened the lid, and sat beside her girlfriend “Meatloaf.”

Ellie’s stomach groaned and she just started eating a bit too eagerly “So, um… How was your day?” Ellie asked, trying to keep the subject light.

She listened as Cat went on about her activities, keeping her distracted from her conversation with Tommy, and that was all Ellie needed at the moment. She didn’t want to stress Cat with her problems nor push her away with her bad mood; Cat didn’t deserve to get caught in the middle of it all and Ellie only hoped she could talk to her girlfriend before she left tomorrow.

“This was really good.” Ellie said after she was done, settling the bowl on her coffee table.

“I’m glad you liked it.” Cat licked her lips, and even though Ellie knew it didn’t happen often, it was a sign that the girl was nervous “So, do you want to… I don’t know, watch a movie or something? It’s a bit late, but maybe we could hang out a little…”

“Yeah, I mean…” Ellie scratched the back of her head, trying to think of the right thing to say “Maybe not a movie, but I was thinking we could listen to some music? You can, um… Stay here for the night if you want to.”

“Sure, I’d like that.” Cat smiled.

“Okay, um… I’m just gonna brush my teeth. You can choose one of the tapes over here.” Ellie pointed to one of the shelves while she made her way to the bathroom. Looking at the mirror, she saw her eyes were still a bit red, but she was glad Cat didn’t pry on about it.

After cleaning herself, Ellie went back to the room, where Cat was already sitting on her bed, messing with the cassette player.

“Got it?” She asked after flipping the lights off, and joined her girlfriend on the bed.

“Yeah.” Cat took her boots off and got under the covers, dragging Ellie with her “Nothing too heavy, just something that I think will help you relax.”

“Okay.” Ellie put on one of the earphones, giving the other one to Cat, and pressed play.

She felt Cat reaching out for her after she pulled the covers up “Come here.” Cat’s arms wrapped around her and Ellie rested her head on her girlfriend’s chest as a guitar strum followed by a soothing voice filled her left ear.

She closed her eyes, hoping the song would muffle her ranging thoughts and lull her to sleep as soon as possible. Cat was caressing her waist, her thumb moving up and down over her hoodie “It’s gonna be okay.” Ellie heard her say.

Despite all odds, Ellie clung to those words, really wishing they would become true. She had a long and hard journey ahead of her, but she was going to make it and do the right thing in the end.

_It’s gonna be okay, Joel._

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and as always, I would love to hear your thoughts on the comments below, it's a pleasure to answer you guys.
> 
> We're finally reaching Seattle and I'm looking forward to share with you the changes I've been planning for those days.
> 
> See you all next week!
> 
> xx


	6. The Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys!
> 
> As always, thank you all so much for the support on this story. I'm having a great time sharing this with you and it makes me happy to see the positive feedback you guys have been giving me. :')
> 
> Hope you enjoy this chapter too!
> 
> xx

#  Chapter 06 – The Aftermath

**Abby – Two months after the events in Jackson**

“Two on the second floor! C’mon!” Jordan shouted, getting to cover behind a wall so he could reload his pistol.

“I’m on it!” Abby moved forward and entered the building, chasing two Scars who were trying to run away from them.

She went for the flight of stairs, climbing two steps at a time as she heard loud noises coming from the upper floor; at least there weren’t any infected close by, otherwise they would have showed up at the sound of the first gunshot. Abby reached the corridor and saw a Seraphite woman trying to get away in the end of it. _Found you_ , she thought and shot her gun a couple of times, missing the target. Abby didn’t stop though, and kept chasing the woman through the building, guessing her foe only had a bow since she hadn’t tried to shoot Abby back. Seeing that the woman was going for a door, Abby picked up her pace and managed to grab the doorknob before it could close on her face.

The woman was pushing hard, trying to block the way, but it was clear that Abby was much stronger, so the Wolf hit the door with her shoulder a bit harder to get it open, making the other woman fall on the floor with the impact. Her bow was out of reach, so the Seraphite woman used her knife against Abby, who was quick to block her and hit her in the guts with her right knee. The woman groaned, loosening her grip on the knife, which Abby then grabbed and used it to stab her a few times.

The Seraphite woman’s body hit the floor with a thud, but Abby didn’t have time to process it as she heard a loud noise of glass breaking, followed by gunshots. She ran towards the huge whole on one of the walls of the building and carefully checked outside, her pistol steady in her hands. But it was only Jordan, who had managed to catch the other Scar that was probably trying to escape through the window that led to an alley.

“You good?” He looked up at Abby, after checking the dead guy’s body on the ground.

“Yeah. Where are the others?” She said and then jumped over the railing, sliding down the roof onto one of the many containers scattered around.

“They were heading towards the Marina. Let’s go.” He started to run in said direction and Abby followed behind.

They managed to catch up with Manny and Leah near the road on the edge of a cliff that led to the Marina. The two Wolves were shooting at someone near the shore, but it was too far away from any of them to get a single shot.

“Fuck! They’re getting away.” Jordan started to shoot too, but Abby stopped him.

“It’s useless, we’re not gonna get them from here.” She said and they all stood there as a group of Seraphites escaped on two boats, heading back to their island.

“Goddammit.” A frustrated Leah groaned and put her gun back on its holster.

“Can’t wait to blow their heads off at the end of the week.” Manny said as they started to head back.

Isaac had already warned them about his plan to attack the Seraphite Island, using a storm that was expected in five days as a disguise for their approach. Abby figured he must have planned everything carefully while she was on her trip to Wyoming, because when she returned, Isaac had new patrol routes and was gathering pretty much all of the units at the FOB, not to mention that he had assigned her and Manny to lead the first wave of soldiers. Abby didn’t argue; after all, it was what she had agreed on before she left.

“Until then, those fuckers will keep messing with our business. Did you check the hatchery? It didn’t look pretty.” Leah pointed out.

The four of them made their way to the only building that wasn’t falling apart on that part of the city. The WLF kept a few fish hatcheries around their territory to help them with the food supply, especially at the Stadium. The shore was a good place to catch wild salmon, but it was also a vulnerable spot since Seraphites could come from their island and ambush them easily, so Isaac didn’t rely solely on that.

“Take a look at this.” Manny opened the door and they all got in, scanning the place.

There were half a dozen tanks on the large area, connected to several pipes that led to a pump and aeration equipment, not to mention the filter machine that was used to treat the water. Everything seemed in perfect condition, except the tanks were empty and all the fish were gone.

“I can’t believe this shit.” Jordan took off his cap and ran his hand through his dark hair.

“They must have cleaned the place during the night.” Abby scoffed “Sneaky little shits.”

“I told Isaac, man. We should keep a unit here all of the time, not just a rotation team every four hours.” He complained “That’s crazy.”

“Well, he said it was low priority. You know he’s not gonna focus on anything other than the attack right now.” And Abby also knew Isaac wasn’t keen on following ideas that didn’t come from his own head.

“At least they didn’t damage any of the equipment.” Manny checked the machines “We can probably get this place up and running again next week if everything goes well.”

“And it will, I’m sure of that.” Jordan replied “Right, Abby?” He patted her back on the way out.

“Yeah, totally.” She just nodded, feeling her head start to hurt a little; it had definitely been a long day and she was more than ready to get back to the base.

“Let’s head back then and report this.” Leah might have read the blonde’s mind “I’m going to the TV station tomorrow morning and I wanna get some rest this evening.”

“Alright then.” Manny grabbed his keys and they all hopped in the truck.

“Next time I’m bringing some explosive traps, mark my words.” Jordan was still scheming against the Scars.

“Chill out, babe.” Leah threw him a smile from the backseat “Let’s just get home in one piece.”

Manny drove them off and they all kept their eyes on their surroundings, trying not to get caught by surprise since the Scars had become bolder in their attacks; with all the snow gone, it was easier to get through the city again. Abby sighed, cleaning the sweat on her brow with the sleeve of her t-shirt. Even though it was hotter now, she wasn’t complaining, having come to the realization that she hated the cold.

“Hey, this is the road that leads to the Aquarium, right?” Jordan’s question made Abby snap from her own thoughts and she looked around before answering him.

“Um… Yeah. Why?” Abby didn’t get a reply since Jordan was already giving Manny directions.

“Manny, turn left. Let’s pay Owen a visit at the Aquarium.” Jordan seemed in a better mood now.

“Jordan… I just wanna go home.” Leah whined but he brushed her off.

“C’mon, guys, the Aquarium is right there and we’re early anyway.” He pointed out to the Ferry’s Wheel on the distance “And I wanna check that boat he says he’s been fixing. I wanna make sure it’s just not another thing from his imagination like that Santa Barbara rumor.”

“Really? Oh my gosh…” Abby sunk on her seat.

“It’s fine, Mel is not even there, I saw her earlier at the Stadium.” Jordan said as if that could comfort Abby in any way.

Abby just rolled her eyes and Manny must have seen it from the rearview mirror, because he let out a laugh and drove faster following the path ahead. A few minutes later, they parked in front of the Aquarium and got out of the truck. It had been a while since Abby had visited the place; whenever she talked to Owen, it was at the Stadium in the few occasions that they ran into each other, the last time being a few days ago when the whole crew got together to talk about what had happened back in Jackson. Besides, the Aquarium has always been something so personal to Owen, and after they broke up, Abby felt like she was intruding, especially now that he had turned the place into a little hideout for him and Mel.

“Yo Owen, open up!” Jordan banged on the front door “You got company!”

“This place is huge.” Leah was looking up at the big structure outside of the building “I don’t remember being here at broad day light.”

Before they could say anything else, Owen opened the door and stared at them with a look of surprise on his face.

“Hey, guys. I didn’t expect to see you all here.” Owen smiled a little.

“It was a last minute decision, man. We were feeling a little blue after our last run and thought you could cheer us up a little.” Jordan explained.

“Definitely.” Manny patted him on his shoulder and walked inside “Can we come in?”

“Um… Of course, yeah.” Owen stepped aside to give them more room, his blue eyes searching for Abby’s as he tried to understand what was happening.

“Sorry.” Abby gave him a half smile after she stepped inside “I tried to talk them out of this, but…”

“It’s fine, really.” Owen locked the door and then put his hands on his pockets “So, what have you guys been up to?”

“We just lost the hatchery near the Marina. The Scars must have noticed the change in our patrol routine and used that to their advantage to take all of our fish.” Abby said as they followed the others to the main hall.

“Damn. Is Isaac really sure of what he’s doing?” Owen asked.

Abby sighed and just shrugged “Well, who are we to question him anyway…”

“Wow, look at the size of that whale!” Leah’s voice got their attention back to their friends, who were already exploring the place.

“Pretty cool, huh?” Owen looked up to the huge sculpture of a whale that hanged from the ceiling, surrounded by smaller fish “Wish I could’ve seen this place back in the old days.”

“Wait up.” Manny crouched and knocked on the glass floor in the middle of the room with his fist “There’s fish under here?”

“Yeah, apparently most of the tanks were connected to the ocean, including this one.” He explained to his friend.

Leah smiled, taking everything in “Well, you did a pretty good job with this place, Owen. No wonder you’re always here.”

That was something Abby definitely agreed on. It seemed silly all those years ago when he first showed her the place, but now she loved how Owen had put so much effort on turning the Aquarium into at least a glimpse of what it was before the Outbreak. Her favorite part was the mural he had finished painting on one of the walls; it had a childish style, similar to the drawings left by the kids who were living in the Aquarium before, but it was still bright and colorful and if she could, Abby would carry it with her. The mural depicted part of the zoo back in Salt Lake City, near the hospital, with trees, giraffes, zebras and some of the other animals she used to see there whenever she got the chance. It reminded her of her father, of a time in her life where she was truly happy, and Abby wondered if she would ever feel like that again.

“Alright, but where’s the boat? That’s what I’m interested in.” Jordan said and Abby took her eyes off the mural, focusing again on what her friends were saying.

“It’s in the back, follow me.” Owen led everyone to the back of the Aquarium, which was a large open area with many rows of seats creating a semi-circle around the ocean where the animals’ performances used to happen “There she is.” He pointed to the sailboat that he was working so hard to fix. It was a sloop rig one, with a single mast and two sails, and while its white hull had definitely seen better days, it still looked sturdy and imposing.

Jordan was the first to get on it, followed by Manny after they dumped their backpacks and guns on one of the seats “Oh she’s kinda fancy. Check this out.” He said, sitting on the cockpit to mess with the helm.

“Just try not to break anything.” Owen called out, seeing Manny get down to the lower deck.

Abby just laughed at the two guys, who looked like kids checking out a new toy. She also put her bag on the floor and dropped on one of the seats, watching them figure things out.

“Is it working already?” Leah asked.

“Um, I got the engine working, but I still gotta fix some corroding problems in the fuel tank. The generator is up and running though, and I managed to fix most of the solar panels too.” Owen explained and, judging by the condition the boat was in when they first found it, it was looking much better now.

“Ha, there’s even a bed here? Don’t tell me this is where you and Mel conceived the baby.” Manny joked, but it was enough to make everyone groan in displeasure.

“Manny!” Owen yelled, clearly embarrassed “For fuck’s sake…” But all he could hear was his friend’s loud laughter coming from below the deck.

Owen made his way to Abby, rubbing the back of his neck, and threw her an apologizing look “He’s just being a jerk.”

“Relax. I don’t care.” What really annoyed Abby was the fact that Owen seemed to want to apologize to her every time they brought Mel’s pregnancy up, like it was a mistake or that he owed her or something.

“Right.” He sat down next to her, pursing his lips “So um… Is everything okay? You seem tired.”

“No, I’m good.” Abby sighed “It’s been a long day, that’s all.”

Owen nodded and continued on “Still having trouble sleeping?” Abby didn’t have to answer, because he knew her too well “Look, what happened in Jackson… It’s all pretty recent. But things will get better eventually, you’ll see.”

“That’s what I’m counting on.” She replied, staring at her own boots. During her trip back to Seattle, she waited every single night for the weight on her shoulders to feel lighter somehow, but nothing had changed. Maybe Owen was right and she just had to wait a little bit more.

“Hey, babe, look at me.” They heard Jordan get Leah’s attention “I’m like that guy from that iceberg movie, what was it called?” He was trying to balance himself on the tip of the foredeck, holding on the ropes.

“It’s Titanic, you silly.” Leah jumped off the boat and headed towards Abby and Owen “Now stop messing around before you end up at the bottom of the ocean.” She sat on one of the seats next to her friends and fixed her messy ponytail “So, have you made the route to Santa Barbara yet?”

“Well…” Owen laughed “I think I’ve settled some decent directions to California on the map. And I’ve been reading a sailing book I found onboard too, so hopefully I won’t get lost in the middle of the Pacific.”

“Is it decided then? Are you and Mel going for good?” Manny asked as he and Jordan got off the boat too.

“Um, pretty much, yeah.” Owen continued “I mean, I still have to make her admit it out loud but that’s our plan.” He stared at his friends “And it’s not too late for you all to decide to come with us too, you know.”

“That’s crazy, man.” Jordan was the first one to speak “We’re in the middle of a war.”

“This is another reason why we should have a backup plan. If shit hits the fan and those Scars overrun us, I’m not dying on that island.”

“If Isaac suspects that we’re having this conversation, he’ll have our heads before we even step foot in that island, Owen.” Abby said, fully aware of the fact that their leader despised traitors and deserters, since he made that clear in every opportunity he had.

“This is just between us, Abby.” He assured her “And I’m sure Nora and Nick would never rat us out.”

“Yeah, man, we totally get that.” Manny said “But the attack is literally in five days and you know how paranoid Isaac gets when we’re doing something big like this.”

“We just have to think things through carefully.” Owen leaned forward on his seat and Abby could see that he was dead serious about it “What are you guys doing for the next few days?”

“Well, Nick and I are heading to the Serevena Hotel to pull out the rest of the supplies downtown for whatever reason…” Jordan scoffed at Isaac’s orders.

“Yeah, and I’m going to the TV station tomorrow morning to set up base with the radio and coordinate with the other units. You know how the signal is much better there.” Leah explained.

“Are you two leading the attack?” Owen turned to Abby and Manny.

“Yeah.” Abby answered “We’re probably going to the FOB in the next couple of days to get ready. Nora’s already there.”

“Okay. There’s been some Scars sightings out North, so I’m going for a sweep with Danny tomorrow too.” Owen said, causing everyone to grimace.

“Danny? Of all people?” Leah rolled her eyes. Danny was a conceited asshole and Abby was pretty sure everybody at the base hated him, expect for Isaac.

“You know I got no say in my assignments.” Owen shrugged “But I can probably get him off my back when we head back to the FOB and then make my way here again.”

“Whatever you decide, man, just know that Abby and I will cover you. We’ll keep Isaac distracted.” Manny said and Abby supported him.

“Definitely.” The blonde had no plans at all of chasing after Fireflies rumors, but it that was what Owen wanted, she wasn’t going to stop him “We’ll make sure to leave you all out of the first wave team so you have better chances of escaping if anything goes wrong.”

“C’mon, really?” Jordan complained.

“Babe, please.” Leah put a hand on her boyfriend’s arm “To quote what Owen has just said… I don’t wanna die on that island. And I don’t want you to die either.”

Abby knew how much Jordan wanted to take part on the attack, but if he wanted to have a slim chance of escaping, he needed to stay with the other units “Fine, fine.” He finally agreed “But I’ll make sure to be stationed at the Marina so none of those fuckers make it across our side.”

“Alright then, it’s settled. Just pass the word to Nora and Nick when you see them.” Owen said and they all nodded in agreement.

Abby then got up, more than ready to get back to the Stadium “We should go, the sun’s gonna set soon.”

She grabbed her gear from the floor and everyone did the same, heading back to the front door of the Aquarium.

“Good luck out there with Danny, man. You’ll need it.” Jordan said, patting Owen on the back.

“Thanks. It was nice seeing you all.” Owen said his goodbyes as Manny started the truck “Take care.” He waved at Abby.

“Always.” She smiled back, settling herself in the back of the truck “May your survival be long.”

“May your death be swift.” He replied and Manny honked the horn a couple of times before taking the road that led back to the Stadium.

They all made it back in one piece, with no surprises or ambushes from the Scars, and before Abby knew it, she was already back inside the walls, checking in her guns and the truck keys. She was glad Leah had offered to fill in the report about the hatchery, because she was definitely not in the mood for paperwork.

“Man, I’m beat.” Jordan yawned “I think I’m gonna grab something to eat at the canteen before crashing for the day. You guys wanna come?”

“Sure.” Manny agreed, but Abby stayed back.

“You guys go ahead. I’m actually dying for a shower, so I’m just gonna go up to the dorms.” She said, hoping that Manny still had some aspirins in his drawer to spare her making a trip to the pharmacy.

“No problem. I can bring you a snack if you want to.” Manny offered with a smile.

“I’d really appreciate it.” She smiled back as they both made their way to the canteen.

Tired as hell, Abby walked back to her room and closed the door behind her with a sigh. Dropping her boots and her bag next to her bed, Abby fell down on the mattress, keeping her eyes closed for a few seconds. Ever since she came back from Wyoming, it had been one crazy day after the other, all in preparation for the attack. She knew she shouldn’t be surprised by that, but Abby only wanted a goddamn moment to breathe; it had been a lot lately and she was having a hard time processing everything.

With another sigh, Abby sat down on her bed and started to empty her backpack, taking out her water flask and her jacket. Her eyes glanced quickly at her nightstand and the framed picture of her father caught her attention. Abby let go of her bag and grabbed the portrait, staring at her father’s soft smile. After four years, she had finally avenged his death, she had _finally_ put an end to the man who made them suffer so much, and even though she knew things wouldn’t be nice and dandy afterwards, she wasn’t expecting them be like _this_. More of the same. Nothing had changed. The only difference was that now she was stuck in a war and she could be marching to her fucking death in less than a week. She thought of Owen’s words from earlier, about how everything would get better eventually… But Abby was sick of waiting, she had waited long enough and she just wanted to feel like what she had done mattered. That it wasn’t for nothing.

_I did what I had to._ Joel’s last words echoed through her head, but she shut them out, and placed the picture back on her nightstand.

“No.” She whispered to the empty room “ _I_ did what I had to.”

And she would do it again, even if she had to kill every single Scar on that island to stay alive and prove her point. If not to her father anymore, to herself.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> First of all, just want to make it clear that I don't know a thing about fish hatcheries and boats, so forgive me if anything seemed off. Owen's sailboat will be slightly different from the one in canon though, so I'll definitely take more time to describe it later on, cause it will be important for..uh..the story. Spoiler alert lol
> 
> Second of all, I want you to check this incredible fan art of the Salt Lake Crew, by the also amazing @AbbyStanAccount on Twitter - shorturl(.)at/txNR1 - It was definitely an inspiration as I was writing this chapter, so go over to her profile and support her art.
> 
> And don't forget, if you enjoy this chapter, please let me know your thoughts on the comments below, it's always a pleasure to answer you. I'll see you all next week.
> 
> Stay safe!
> 
> xx


	7. Washington

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!
> 
> Thank you all for reading and supporting this story, I really appreaciate it. :')
> 
> With this chapter, I can say we've reached the end of a long introduction, and next week Day 1 will finally begin.
> 
> Hope you enjoy this one!
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 07 – Washington**

**Ellie – Present Day**

_Ellie was back at the chalet again. She was standing on the top of the stairs that led to the basement, the only light coming from her flashlight._

_“Ellie…” A familiar voice coming from the door caught her attention; it was Joel’s._

_Ellie reached behind her back to get her pistol, but it wasn’t there, not even her backpack; the only weapon Ellie had on her was her jackknife, so she went for it anyway. She took one step forward, climbing down the first step, but then she heard a loud bang, followed by someone screaming in pain._

_“Joel? Joel!” Ellie called out and started to run down the stairs. Something was wrong though, because the faster she moved, the further away from the door she became. The steps seemed endless, but she continued climbing down, trying to reach the door._

_“Ellie!” Joel yelled this time and she could tell that he was suffering from the strain in his voice “Ellie, please!”_

_“Joel!” She kept running down, but the door didn’t seem to get closer no matter how hard she tried to reach it._

_She started to sweat, feeling her hair stick to her forehead, but she didn’t give up. With all the air left in her lungs, Ellie launched herself forward, finally reaching the door._

_“Fuck! Open up!” Ellie banged on it, completely out of breath, and tried to get it opened, but it wouldn’t bulge “Joel!” She yelled and twisted the doorknob several times._

_Getting on her knees, Ellie squinted her eyes and looked inside the room through the keyhole. Her raged breaths were making it hard for her to focus, but after a few seconds she could make out three dark silhouettes; two of them were a little to the side, looking down at someone lying on the floor. It was Joel, Ellie was sure of it. She could see that he was still alive, because he reached out his arm towards her, as if he knew she was there._

_“Joel!” She banged on the door again. But then Ellie saw the moment the third silhouette stepped on Joel’s hand, crushing it as he groaned in pain again._

_Ellie couldn’t make the person’s face, but she was sure it was the blonde WLF girl. Abby. She was holding a shotgun and Ellie froze in place when she pump it and point it to Joel’s face._

_“No!” Ellie yelled. She didn’t think anyone could hear her since she had been screaming and banging at the door earlier, but the woman stopped and looked back at her._

_Before Ellie knew it, the woman moved in an inhumane speed and hit the door with a bang, her bloodshot eye staring right into Ellie’s through the keyhole._

_“Come watch.” She said in a distorted voice._

.

.

.

Ellie’s body jerked and she opened her eyes, the woman’s voice still ringing on her ears. She stayed still for a few minutes, trying to steady her breath as she processed that everything was just a dream and that she was in her room, safe and sound. Ellie could feel Cat’s arm circling her waist from behind, but her body was still rigid, like she hadn’t relaxed at all during her sleep. _Again_. She sighed and untangled herself from her girlfriend, carefully so she wouldn’t wake her up. The tape recorder was neatly set by the alarm clock and Ellie figured Cat must have put it away after she fell asleep. Seeing that it was just past seven, Ellie headed to the bathroom to get ready; she needed to leave at 10 with Tommy and there were a few things she wanted to do first.

Despite the cold, Ellie could feel that her shirt under her hoodie was drenched in sweat, probably from all the stress she went through just by dreaming about Joel and his killer. If she needed some sort of confirmation that she shouldn’t waste any more time and just go to Seattle, that was it. Taking off her clothes, Ellie turned on the water so she could take a shower, glad they had a heating system that was a life savior, especially during the winter. After she was done, Ellie went to her dresser to find some clean underwear, a pair of jeans and a comfy t-shirt, throwing a warm plaid shirt on top of it. Then Ellie grabbed her backpack and started to pack a few changes of clothes; another pair of jeans, a couple of tank tops, a button-up shirt, a windbreaker. Her pistol was already loaded, so she just checked the safety lock and stored it inside her bag too. Finally, she got her journal and a couple of pencils, but when she was about to close the zipper, she heard a voice behind her.

“What are you doing?” Ellie didn’t have to turn around to know that Cat had woken up, and was probably sitting on the bed staring at her.

“Packing my stuff.” Ellie answered, settling her backpack on her chair.

It didn’t take long before Cat asked another question “Why?”

Ellie sighed, her head hanging between her shoulders for a few moments. She knew they were going to have this conversation sooner or later, but Ellie was definitely not ready to deal with it “Cause I’m leaving in a couple of hours.” She finally turned around.

Cat’s hair was still messy from sleeping and she was frowning, clearly confused about what was happening “You’re leaving.” It more of a statement than a question and when Ellie didn’t say anything, Cat continued “Are you really serious about this?” Ellie looked down at the carpet, her eyes failing to stay on Cat’s for too long. She didn’t know what to say. Well, of course she was serious, her decision wasn’t even up for debate. “Ellie.”

Cat said her name again and Ellie’s eyes darted back at hers “I’m going. I’m not letting them get away with what they did.”

“Do you even know where their base is?” The other girl questioned and got out of bed, but didn’t take any steps towards Ellie.

“It’s in Washington. Seattle.” She answered, even though she knew that information wouldn’t change anything for Cat.

“Oh my gosh… That’s…” Cat ran her hands through her hair, shaking her head slightly “That’s pretty much two states away, Ellie.”

She was aware of that, yeah, but it didn’t matter “I’ve traveled further. Besides, Tommy’s going with me, so-”

“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Cat didn’t let her finish “You could _die_ , Ellie! Don’t you get that? Two people against God only know how many of them are there! And that is if you even get halfway through. You could get ambushed or…or run into a horde and get bit, or…” Cat was listing all the possible bad scenarios.

“That’s not gonna happen.” Well, at least Ellie knew she couldn’t get infected.

Cat just shook her head and stood in silence for a few seconds, looking at Ellie “I can’t even imagine how hard this must be for you, Ellie, but… But this is a suicide mission. And I don’t think Joel would want that for you. I know you two have been through a lot-”

Ellie clenched her jaw, suddenly getting annoyed; at what though, she wasn’t sure “You don’t understand.”

“I know that you feel guilty.” Ellie’s eyes locked on Cat’s the moment the words left her girlfriend’s mouth.

“What did you say?” Ellie had heard her, but she asked anyway. She watched as Cat licked her lips, probably regretting saying it in the first place.

“Well, I could see that you two had some unfinished business, I mean, at least from your side.” Cat admitted.

Ellie brushed it off, feeling her eyes get wet “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yeah, you’re right, Ellie. I have no idea, and you know why? Cause you didn’t talk to me! It was clear that you meant the world to Joel, but something must have happened to make you not want to even look at his face for the past two years.” Ellie rubbed her temples, trying to keep herself together, not because Cat was the one saying those things, but because they were true “But there has to be another way to do this, Ellie. Help me understand whatever it is that’s going on, maybe I can help you…”

Ellie shook her head and watched as Cat’s face fell with disappointment “It’s too late. I have to fix this and the only way to do it is going after those people who fucking killed him. I have to know why they did it.” A tear slipped down her cheek, but she simply ignored.

“Guess it’s useless if I ask you to stay then. Or to come along with you.” Cat said softly, in almost a whisper.

“You’ll be safer here, behind the walls.” Ellie hated herself for thinking that Cat would be a liability with her lack of experience, but either way, she would never risk the girl’s life asking her to come along.

“Right.” Cat sniffled and turned around, looking for her boots. Ellie stared at her own hands, not really knowing what to say. Were they done?

“Cat, I…” Ellie stuttered as Cat grabbed her coat from the couch “I’m sorry.”

Cat pursed her lips “I know. I just hope you find whatever it is you’re looking for, Ellie.” With a faint smile, Cat went out the door, leaving an even more broken Ellie behind.

.

.

.

Ellie fidget with the ground below her boots, feeling the dirt get under her fingernails. She was kneeling next to Joel’s grave, which had a couple of flowers and tree branches around it; it had been a few days since his burial, but people were still paying him respect. Ellie sniffled as her thoughts caused havoc inside her head. She kept thinking about what Cat had said, about how she could see that Ellie was feeling guilty over what happened, given the awkward situation she and Joel found themselves in. She knew deep inside that that was one of the reasons she was so angry, but she couldn’t focus on that right now. First she needed to get to Seattle, find out who those people were and why they were after Joel, then she was going to kill them for what they did. That was the plan.

She sniffled again, getting up and dusting off her jeans. Ellie was ready to meet Tommy on one of the gates, but she needed to do something first. Following the pathway that led out of the small graveyard, Ellie headed to Joel’s house, which wasn’t that far. A couple of minutes later, she could already see tons of flowers and letters and little souvenirs that had gathered around Joel’s mailbox; despite not being much of a people’s person, Ellie knew he was admired by the whole community for his bravery and willingness to always help the ones in need, and not just because he was Tommy’s older brother.

Carefully not to step on anything, Ellie opened the small gate on the fence to Joel’s place and made her way to his porch, climbing up the steps slowly. She stopped in front of the door, her hand trembling as she raised it to turn the doorknob. _Fuck. Just breathe_. Ellie took a deep breath and opened the door, closing it behind her as she stepped inside. She looked around, seeing everything in place, untouched, as if Joel had just gone to the main hall and was going to be back at any minute. Ellie sighed, blinking a few times to try and make the tears go away, and made her way through the rooms.

The house was pretty big for only one person, but they all had plenty of space in Jackson, which was why Ellie also got her own place, even if it was just a rearranged garage. The living room and the dining room seemed so foreign to her and Ellie realized it had been a long time since her last visit. _Two years_ , her mind made sure to remind her, but Ellie shut that thought away and moved to the kitchen. Everything was neatly in place too, except for a mug on the counter. Ellie approached it, recognizing it as the one Joel was holding when they last spoke, back at the porch that faced his backyard. There was still a smudge of black coffee at the bottom of the mug, meaning that Joel probably left it there to wash the next morning, but he must’ve forgotten due to the early patrol call. Ellie took the object in her hands, noticing the intricate drawing of an owl on the porcelain, and then she ran her fingertips over it, trying to memorize the pattern. Swallowing a lump on her throat, she put it back on the counter and walked away, going to the second floor.

The first door upstairs was Joel’s workshop. Ellie stood at the doorway, not really stepping inside, the memories flooding her mind with images of many afternoons she had spent there, watching him carving old pieces of wood into beautiful models, or just strumming one of the guitars he made on his workbench. Ellie sighed and took a step back, going to his bedroom, and she was sure that if she concentrated enough, she could see him in the corner of her eye, sitting on one of his stools.

Shaking her head slightly, Ellie focused again on what she was supposed to get there. On Joel’s bed was a red shoebox and Ellie opened it carefully, examining its contents. Inside there was the watch Joel was always wearing on his wrist, even though it had been broken for years; Ellie knew it was Joel’s daughter, Sarah, who had given it to him on his birthday, which was why Joel cherish it so much. Ellie put the watch on her pocket and then took the last thing she needed from inside the box: Joel’s revolver. She had seen it in action so many times, definitely familiar with its precision and fire power, and Ellie only hoped she could put it to good use during her trip as well.

Settling the gun on the back of her jeans, Ellie scanned the room one last time, her eyes stopping on the closet next to the door. She headed inside, her hands running through some of his button-up shirts and coats that were hanging on the rack. She put one of them aside; the light brown one that Joel would wear every winter, because it was cozy and comfortable. Clutching her hands on its side, Ellie brought the coat to her face and smelled it, trying to get the remaining of his scent even though it had been washed after the last time he used it. Feeling her hands tremble again, she took the coat out of the rack and put it on her, the heavy cloth engulfing her skinny frame since it was made for much bigger shoulders. Ellie folded the sleeves a couple of times too and feeling satisfied with how it looked on her, she got out of his room, ready to leave and meet Tommy. But before she could climb down the steps leading downstairs, Ellie got a glimpse of a picture on top of a dresser, one that she recognized all too well. It was a picture of a much younger Joel with Sarah, the only thing he got to keep from his old life besides the watch. Ellie stared at it for a little while longer, watching their smiles and carefree expressions. _At least he can finally be with her now_ , _wherever they are_.

With that thought in mind, Ellie made her way down and left the house, closing the front door behind her. What she wasn’t expecting to see was Dina and Jesse standing there on the sidewalk, apparently waiting for her. She approached them awkwardly, not really knowing what to say.

“Hey.” It was Dina who made the first move, smiling a little.

“Hey.” Ellie tried to smile back, but it must have looked like a grimace.

“I made you this. For the road.” Dina gave her a package, tightly wrapped in cloth and a thin rope.

“Thank you.” Ellie said, taking the supplies “You didn’t have to.”

“It was the least I could do.” Dina glanced quickly at Jesse and then continued “You should let us come with you, Ellie. You’ll need some sort of back up.”

Ellie shook her head, but before she could say anything, Jesse was already supporting Dina “At least let me come. I’m sure we can convince Maria and…and fetch a horse somehow…” He was dead serious, but Ellie couldn’t let that happen.

“No, Jesse. You need to be with Dina.” She replied “You guys have the baby now and… And I can’t drag you into this mess.”

They simply nodded, resigned “You leaving now?” Dina asked.

“Yeah. Tommy is waiting at the East gate. I just have to grab my backpack.” Ellie said, staring down at her own hands holding the package, and she almost let it fall on the ground when she felt Dina’s arms around her in a hug. Ellie hugged her friend back, swallowing down yet another lump in her throat for the hundredth time that day.

“Please be careful.” Dina let her go, her eyes glistening a little.

Ellie felt Jesse’s hand on her shoulder, squeezing it softly “You take care out there.”

“I will.” Ellie sighed and looked at them one last time “Thanks, guys.”

After saying her final goodbyes, Ellie made her way to the back of Joel’s house, where her place was, so she could get her bag. She stored the package Dina had given her inside of it and checked everything one more time, seeing that she had all she needed in there. She closed the garage’s door, not really knowing when she would be back – if she would be back – and headed towards the East gate. There weren’t many people there, besides Maria and the guys responsible for the watch tower on that side of the wall. Tommy was standing next to his motorcycle and Ellie wasn’t surprised to see that they would travel on it. Despite needing gas, it was much faster than the horses and Tommy had been restoring it for a couple of years since he found it in an abandoned deposit not too far from Jackson.

Holding tightly to the shoulder straps of her backpack, Ellie took a deep breath and walked towards them, sensing Maria’s eyes on her; the girl couldn’t help but to feel bad about taking Tommy away from her.

“Hey, you.” Tommy greeted her, tying a small bag to the side of his bike “Ready?”

“Yeah.” Ellie nodded and turned to Maria, who had a troubling look on her face.

“I know there’s nothing I can do to change your mind, Ellie.” The older woman approached her “But know that it’s with a heavy heart that I’m letting you two go.”

Ellie couldn’t say anything, overwhelmed by her emotions, so she just nodded again as she felt Maria pulling her for an embrace.

“Just come back to us.” Maria pleaded and then turned to her husband “Both of you.”

“We will, honey.” Tommy reassured her with a kiss on her temple and they said their final goodbyes.

Putting on the helmet Tommy had given her, Ellie hopped on the backseat of the bike and didn’t look back at the city she had been calling home for the past 5 years when Tommy led them away through the snowy path ahead.

.

.

.

* * *

**Renton, Washington**

While travelling with Tommy, Ellie couldn’t help but draw a comparison to Joel. They were brothers after all and Ellie definitely saw some similarities between them; Tommy was strong, skilled and experienced just like Joel, he knew how to read the world outside and what dangers they could face. Ellie noticed that he was completely alert the whole time, even before they managed to get out of Wyoming. They were avoiding all of the main roads and at any sign of another person or group, they would take a detour and find another way. She didn’t want to talk about it, but Ellie knew he was still feeling guilty for having trusted those people back in the chalet. All Tommy had said was that it had been a mistake and that it wouldn’t ever happen again.

But Tommy was also very different from his older brother. He liked to talk and to tell stories, sometimes of his adventures when he first got to Jackson and met Maria, others of his younger self, even before the Outbreak. Ellie had wondered if he was doing that to make their trip less dull and tense, or if he was just trying to clear her mind from what exactly they were going to do; either way, she appreciated those talks nonetheless.

They had been on the road for over a month now. When they got to Idaho, all the ice had thawed completely, which helped them to move faster with the motorcycle, but it also meant the infected became more aggressive again since the cold wasn’t numbing some of their movements anymore. They had wasted a couple of days running away from a horde, not to mention all of the nights they had to spent hidden in abandoned houses or buildings because it was too dark to see and they didn’t want to run into an ambush or an infected nest. But in spite of all the adversities, Ellie and Tommy made their way to Washington and were now camping in the small city of Renton. If they kept going, they would reach Seattle in a few hours, but it was getting dark, and Tommy didn’t want to get into the enemy territory during the night. So they found shelter in a secluded place and decided to spend the night there.

Ellie was sitting with her back to a wall, chewing on some beef jerky, while Tommy was making sure there were no other entrances besides the broken window where they came from. The small house they found themselves in was free from any infected and spores, and pretty much all of the windows and doors were boarded up. Tommy had parked his bike on the backyard and had managed to find something to cover it up, afraid it would catch someone’s attention.

“Alright, we’re good for the night.” he said, coming back to the living room with his lantern, settling it on the floor next to their sleeping bags “How’s that jerky?”

“It’s still good. Here.” Ellie passed him some and grabbed her water canteen, taking a long gulp.

She cleaned her mouth with the sleeves of her jacket; she had long changed from Joel’s heavy coat since the weather was much warmer and was now wearing something lighter. She watched as Tommy sat across from her, resting his back on an old couch behind him.

“So, uh…” Ellie started “How do you think Seattle is gonna be like?”

“Well…” Tommy swallowed some of his food “Can’t imagine it being much different from Boston. Most of these big cities were heavily bombarded when the government was still tryna deal with all this chaos.” He said, and Ellie remembered seeing most of downtown Boston in ruins because of the bombs “Thing is, we ain’t gonna be dealing with any FEDRA soldiers anymore, Ellie. This group, and no matter if they’re small in numbers or not... They’re dangerous. We can’t leave our guard down, otherwise we’re gonna be dead, you understand?”

“Yeah, I know.” Ellie nodded, messing with her shoelaces “Why do you think they were after Joel? I mean, you said they recognized his name immediately, right?” The two of them haven’t really talked much about that, but Ellie wanted to understand, she needed to know why.

“They knew who he was, yeah. Didn’t seem like anyone we’ve come across before, though. At least not while I was still with him.” Tommy answered.

“He didn’t tell me much, but…” Ellie knew that Joel had spent a very long time away from Tommy and that the two of them had only come to good terms again when Ellie was already travelling with Joel “But when we were crossing Pittsburgh and we ran into some hunters, Joel said that he knew how they operated cause he’d done stuff like that before.”

Tommy sighed, probably aware of what Ellie was talking about “Things were tough in the beginning, Ellie, especially after we left Texas. I’m sure there’s things Joel wasn’t proud of, just like I’m not proud of some of the things I had to do to survive.”

“You think it’s something about that? His time as a hunter or even a smuggler back in Boston?” Ellie questioned, thinking that Joel must have made some enemies during all those years.

“It’s hard to say.” Tommy scratched his beard “I don’t see how the hunters could be connected to the WLF, much less the other smugglers. And it’s been years since I left Boston, Ellie, it was way before Joel. The only big group I’ve been part of was the Fireflies, but with them gone, I can’t really think of something else. Maybe it could-” Ellie didn’t let Tommy finish his sentence.

“How do you know that?” The girl frowned “How do you know the Fireflies are gone?”

Tommy was silent all of a sudden, licking his lips as if he was searching for the right words. But Ellie waited patiently for his reply, even though deep down she knew what his answer would be.

“He told me what happened.” Tommy finally admitted it, staring at her with worried eyes.

Ellie took a deep breath “When?”

“A couple of weeks after you two made it back to Jackson and decided to stay.” He explained, and that was enough for Ellie.

“Wow.” She scoffed and got up, running her hand through her hair “So you mean like, four years ago?” She exclaimed.

“Ellie, listen.” Tommy tried, but the girl was having none of it.

“Guess it’s a Miller thing to keep the truth from the others, right?” She spat it out angrily. She couldn’t believe the fact that she had been the last one to know about what had happened in Salt Lake City and she wondered if she would have found out at all if she hadn’t gotten back to the hospital when she was 17.

“Listen to me.” Tommy stood up too and tried to reason with the girl “I know Joel wasn’t a man of words, but if there’s one thing you can be sure of was that he loved you. Deeply. And I don’t blame him, cause I woulda done the same thing. We protect the ones that we love, Ellie.”

Tears were filling Ellie’s eyes and she looked away, not really knowing how to deal with that mix of emotions washing over her. She sniffled and stepped away from Tommy, getting her backpack and sleeping bag from the floor “I’m going to sleep. I’ll be up early in the morning so we can get a move on.”

And with that, Ellie went to the dining room, not waiting for Tommy to reply.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> So now Tommy has a motorcycle, cause there was no way I'd let anything happen to Shimmer or any other horse in my story. This is a safe space for animals, screw the rules! lol
> 
> As always, I'd love to read your thoughts on the comments down below, so please let me know what you think of this so far.
> 
> Thank you again for all the support, and see you next week.
> 
> Take care!
> 
> xx


	8. Seattle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> Thanks again for the support you've been giving me on this story, I really appreciate all the hits, kudos and comments, that's definitely a huge motivation for me.
> 
> So, in this chapter we're finally starting Day 1. It's gonna be quite the ride from now on. I hope you all enjoy it.
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 08 – Seattle**

**Ellie – Seattle Day 1**

The wind was blowing on Ellie’s face and she wrinkled her nose when Tommy rode his bike over a stream, making some droplets of water fall on her face. They were following a dirt trail through a forest, trying to find any signs of the Seattle Quarantine Zone. It shouldn’t be hard to find given its size; since it was a major city, Ellie was sure its QZ would be just like Boston’s, or even bigger. But nature had taken over everything and it was hard to follow the coordinates Tommy had on his old map.

“You sure it’s this way?” Tommy asked, making his way through the trees slowly.

“Yeah, the highway should be around here somewhere.” Ellie put the map back in her backpack and looked around, holding to Tommy’s shoulder. She couldn’t deny how beautiful the whole atmosphere was, though. Tall trees that made it hard to see the sky above their heads, rabbits and squirrels running around at the low sound of the bike’s engine, the dense vegetation so green and fresh and full of life… For a second, Ellie could even forget that they lived in such a harsh and cruel world.

She sighed and looked back at the path ahead of them. Things have been quiet between her and Tommy since their argument the night before, and while Ellie knew she may have overreacted a bit, she was still upset about the situation. With Joel gone, Tommy was the closest Ellie had as a family now and knowing he had also been keeping the truth from her hurt like a punch in the gut. She just wished she could keep those thoughts away and focus on their current mission.

“Cars up ahead. We might be gettin’ close.” Tommy said and Ellie followed the direction he pointed with his chin. A couple of cars half-covered in moss could be seen in a small clearing, next to what it once was a bus stop.

“Over that slope, maybe?” Ellie could see the sunlight shining brighter on that side and Tommy sped up a little, going over the slope in a quick motion.

“Bingo.” She heard the smile on his voice and then eyed what was in front of them.

Several cars were displayed among the tall grass, stuck forever on an endless traffic jam; they had finally found the main highway that led to the city. Tommy made his way through them, his bike going faster now that they were partially out of the woods and it wasn’t long before Ellie spotted a huge sign ahead of them.

“There.” She pointed to traffic sign that read _Seattle_ “We made it.”

“We did.” Tommy turned to her slightly, smiling again “Wanna check that trailer out? Might have somethin’ we can scavenge.”

“On it.” Ellie jumped off when Tommy slowed down next to a trailer Ellie quickly recognized as being FEDRA’s, which meant the QZ was probably just up ahead.

Ellie got inside, not before noticing how the outside was covered in graffiti. _Seems the military was also hated all the way up here_ , Ellie mused, and started checking the desks and drawers for something useful. Everything was pretty much picked over though, and the only thing she managed to find was a tourist map of the city that showed its main landmarks and sightseeing spots. Ellie skimmed it for a bit, trying to get familiar with the city; she could see they had a baseball stadium, a ferries wheel next to the shore, and Ellie wondered if it was still standing, an aquarium not very far from it, and many high rises with important names downtown. The city seemed huge and that made it harder to find Joel’s killer, but Ellie didn’t want to think about that now.

“Got anythin’?” Tommy asked when she left the trailer.

“Not really.” Ellie approached him “Just this map of the city, but I think it might come in handy.”

Tommy inspected it and nodded his head “Yeah, it can guide us through when we get inside. Come on, let’s find the main gate.”

Ellie hopped on the bike again and they continued on following the highway, but not for too long since the path ended abruptly on a large crater, where a river passed through coming from a small waterfall that had formed a few meters up the ground due to all the debris probably caused by the bombs.

“Well, damn.” Tommy sighed and took of his helmet. The highway continued on the other side, but they needed to find a way to get across the river and the entire rumble with the motorcycle.

Ellie looked down, seeing that the water was a bit shallow before turning into rapids as it moved toward the city “It’s not like we can turn back, I don’t remember seeing another way.”

“Alright, help me get it down.” Tommy turned off his bike and pushed it until the edge of the crater. Ellie jumped down first on the large rock that was once part of the highway, and she and Tommy managed to lower the bike carefully not to damage it. Tommy pushed it across the river and they made it to the other side, where a few cars were piled against it other, rusting and deteriorating under the weather.

“Let’s see if we can make it at least till the QZ with it.” Tommy turned on his bike again and Ellie got to the back seat “We might have to ditch it soon once we hit the city if the roads end up being as treacherous as this one.” He continued “And since we’re plannin’ on doin’ this quietly, we don’t want it to give it away our position.”

“Right.” Ellie agreed. They definitely didn’t have enough gas to make their way back to Wyoming, but this wasn’t the time to worry about that. They needed to find Joel’s killer first and, so far, they haven’t seen any signs of the WLF anywhere “It’s all too quiet though.”

“It sure is.” Tommy replied as he kept riding further, following the cars “Doesn’t mean they’re not out there. I mean, you know how well we hide our lookouts. They could do the same.”

“Yeah.” Ellie had her eyes sharp on the forest around them, trying to get any movement from behind a tree or a bush, but there wasn’t anything other than the sound of the birds chirping and the water falling on some rocks.

Tommy rode for a couple more minutes, venturing through a dirt trail again that apparently wasn’t leading anywhere, but soon Ellie spotted something up ahead.

“There, look.” Ellie pointed with her index finger to a huge wall once they made it out of the woods “It’s the QZ.”

“Watch the high spots.” Tommy warned her and slowed down, parking his bike behind a van and grabbing his gun.

Ellie scanned the watch towers on top of the wall, searching for any suspicious movements, but they looked abandoned “You see anything?”

“No.” Tommy said and put his gun back on its holster since there were no signs of danger “We’re good for now.”

Ellie approached the gate, carefully not to step on a FEDRA soldier’s dead body that was lying around, and read the words written on it in white graffiti.

“WLF. Trespassers killed on sight.” She huffed and pulled out her journal from her backpack, writing them down. _Well, since we’re still standing, it means they’re not here_ , she thought, still wondering why everything was so quiet.

“This thing surely won’t open easily.” Tommy groaned as he tried to force-open the gate “Looks like it’s powered.”

“Let’s look for another way in.” Ellie made her way to some more FEDRA trailers set up along the wall. Like the one she searched through not too long ago, they were also empty and picked over; the windows were broken and there was nothing left on the drawers and desks besides old paperwork and trash.

“Not so different from Boston, huh?” Ellie heard Tommy say and she stuck her head out the door to see what he was talking about. He was standing next to a handful of cages that the government claimed were ‘holding cells’, but it clear they were meant to keep people locked in like prisoners. No wonder all the soldiers were dead.

After looking around a bit more, Ellie spotted a ladder that led to a big railing on top of the wall “Hey, how ‘bout that?” She said, looking up.

“Uh…” Tommy pondered “Well, there are some cracks on the wall that you could use… It’s too high though, you could fall down.”

“Do you see any other way in?” Ellie questioned but didn’t wait for his reply “It looks sturdy enough and I’ll be careful.”

“Fine.” Tommy sighed “Just watch yourself up there, alright?”

Ellie noticed how he sounded just like Joel when he said that but quickly pushed that thought away from her head, moving to some wooden plates next to the trailers so she could climb on top of them and reach the roof where the ladder was. She jumped to it with no effort and started to climb on the ladder, watching how Tommy was keeping an eye on her from down below. When she reached the top, Ellie saw that part of the railing was destroyed, but she could jump over the gaps, taking advantage of her light weight. So she took a couple of steps back and then jumped forward, landing on the railing that, just like she had thought, was sturdy enough.

The girl walked over it until the end and jumped over to the other side again, reaching another metal structure, but there was some barbed wire blocking the hole on the wall, which meant she would have to keep moving forward to the other crack. Problem was, there was no more railing and the only thing within her reach was the power post a couple of meters away. _Alright, here we go_. Ellie took a deep breath and launched herself forward, landing hard on the metal plate connected to the post.

“Fuck.” She groaned, pulling herself up and regaining her balance.

“Jesus Christ, Ellie!” Tommy yelled from down below “You okay?”

Ellie swept her forehead with the sleeves of her jacket, glad she left her helmet on the bike, because she was definitely sweating now “I’m fine. Gonna see if I can get the gate open for you. Hold on.”

She climbed over the crack on the wall and finally had her first glance of the city. Large and tall buildings emerged from the ground, as if they were fighting for territory among the trees and all the vegetation; it was a huge area and that was only downtown Seattle, as far as Ellie’s eyes could see. _Where are you hiding, Abby?_ Ellie mused, ready to search into every one of those buildings if she had to in order to find that woman.

“What’s wrong?” Tommy’s voice snapped her out of her thoughts and Ellie looked back at him.

“Nothing. I’ll be right back.” Ellie jumped on the railing on the other side of the wall and scanned the area below her, but there were no signs of people nor infected. She found a ladder heading down then and reached the ground quickly.

There were some abandoned military trucks around and more trailers, these ones in a better shape than the others though. There was also a fenced gate blocking her way to the other side, so Ellie looked around for a generator since it looked like it was powered. She checked the trailer’s door, but since it was locked, she used a bottle that was lying around to break one of the windows. _Now I get why they did it_ , she laughed to herself and jumped over the window, careful not to cut herself on the broken glass. Ellie managed to find some ammo on one of the drawers, but most importantly, she found a note with some of the gate codes written on it; even though some of the numbers had faded away, she could still read most of them.

“Finally something useful.” Ellie was about to put it inside her backpack when she noticed something written on the other side of the paper “Got a big operation coming and Isaac wants us to scavenge any remaining supplies from downtown. Take any gas from the Courthouse garage, the Dome, and take them to the safe house in Serevena base.” _Huh_ , Ellie scratched the back of her head, processing the information. _Serevena base. That must be something_.

Eager to investigate whatever that meant, Ellie looked around the trailer one more time before heading out its back and finding a generator right behind it. Hoping it would still have gas, Ellie pulled out its cord one, two, three times, and smiled when the machine turned on, its familiar buzzing sound filling her ears “Fuck yeah.”

Then the girl grabbed the power cable and plugged it in on the panel next to the gate. Pushing a red button, she smiled again when a green light lit on the panel and the gate started to open up.

“Ellie? Ellie! You okay over there?” She heard Tommy call out from the other side of the main gate.

“Yeah!” She approached it and pushed open a small gap the soldiers probably used to communicate with whoever was outside “I managed to open one of the gates, now I just have to figure this one out.”

“Alright.” Tommy nodded, leaning down a bit so he could get a look inside “I’ll be right here.”

Turning around, Ellie headed to the other trailer, quickly noticing that it was equipped with some kind of electronic panel. She tried pushing some buttons, but nothing worked, meaning the power plug she used before was only connected to the other gate. _There must be another power panel around here_. She looked around some more and when she finally found it on the back of the trailer, Ellie went back to the other side of the fenced gate to get the plug.

“Shit, the cable’s too short.” Ellie realized she wouldn’t be able to carry the cable around the gate to the other side, so she had to think of something else. It didn’t take her long to figure it out though, and a few moments later, Ellie was throwing the cable over the gate so she could get it on the other side.

Happy with her progress, Ellie headed back to the panel behind the other trailer and plugged in the power cable “This should do it.”

Ellie got inside the trailer and grabbed the note she had found earlier, glad the code from the main gate wasn’t part of the ones that had faded away. After typing in _0512_ on the panel, Ellie pushed the button and watched as the gate screeched open, making way for Tommy to get through with his bike.

“Smart girl.” He smiled, but before Ellie could say something, the lights on the panel flickered and the gate suddenly closed down with a loud bang.

“Shit.” Ellie breathed out and made her way to Tommy “You good?”

“Yeah. But that crash was quite loud. We should get a move on.” He said, handing Ellie’s helmet back to her.

“Okay. I think I found a clue, though.” She opened her bag, taking out the note from before, and showed it to Tommy “It mentions a place called the Serevena base. It can’t be that far.”

“Good. That’s good.” Tommy read the note a couple of times before giving it back to Ellie “Let’s keep goin’. Eyes and ears sharp.”

“Always.” The girl hopped on the back seat and Tommy move forward with his bike, following the path ahead of them.

The streets were deserted; most of the old houses and stores completely taken by the green vegetation, not to mention that there were cars and more barbed wire blocking some paths. Tommy turned left and another gate could be spotted already, but what caught Ellie’s attention was a huge sign in the distance.

“There it is.” She looked up, pointing to something past the gate. In large metal letters, Ellie read a sign on top of a building not too far away from where they were “Serevena Hotel.”

Tommy’s bike came to a halt “Didn’t think we’d be lucky enough to find it that quick.”

“Well, I don’t believe in luck.” Ellie replied, hopping off the bike “I have the code for this gate too. Looks like it’s connected to this generator, we just have to turn it on…” Ellie was already making her way to the platform where another generator was, but Tommy stopped her.

“Not so fast. We better check that other side first.” He pointed to what it looked like a clear way to another part of the city “We don’t know what we’re gonna find past this gate, so we might as well check if this whole area is clear if we need to take a different route later.”

Ellie stopped in front of the generator, ready to just turn it on and move past the gate, hoping to find their first WLF, but Tommy was right. They needed to think everything through if they wanted to have a chance against this group.

“Okay then.” She put away the note with the codes and got the old map instead “Let’s go.”

Ellie got on the bike again and Tommy rode past the blockades, reaching a whole new area of the city. Ellie looked around and checked twice on her map to make sure of where they were “Downtown Seattle. This place is fucking huge.” She said, eyes moving from a river flowing in the middle of a green field of grass to a broken bridge that must have collapsed due to the bombings “You think they have enough people to cover this whole place?”

“If they do, I wonder where they are.” Tommy replied, his tone cold “And the fact that we can’t see ‘em is what worries me the most.”

Ellie bit her lips, thinking about that too. If the WLF was really this large militia group that took down the FEDRA army in such a major city, why weren’t there any signs of them besides a dirty note left on an abandoned trailer? It didn’t make any sense.

“Let’s take a quick sweep on this place and then get back to the gate.” Tommy pulled Ellie out of her thoughts “Maybe we can find something worth scavenging.”

Ellie agreed and Tommy rode down the small slope towards the city. Most of the high rises were in ruins, some even topped over, creating a large pile of debris. There were also soldiers’ bodies lying around near some trucks and tons of graffiti with not very nice sayings towards FEDRA. Right up ahead, Ellie saw a tall round building and thought it might be the one mentioned on the note.

“Hey, that one looks like a dome, right?” Ellie said and Tommy approached it with his bike and turned it off.

“Ration Distribution Center.” He read the old sign “I’m gonna take a look around, don’t stray off too far, alright?”

“Okay, I’m gonna check some of those stores for supplies.” Ellie crossed the street to the Dome, heading to a place called Valiant Music Shop. To her surprise, the door was unlocked and she stepped inside carefully, ears wide alert to any sound that might be coming from an infected. However, it all looked clear, so Ellie relaxed and took in the music store with what it still had to offer. Most of the records were still on the shelves, covered by a thin layer of dust from being untouched for years. Ellie always wondered what it would have been like to live before the Outbreak days, where one could just venture into these stores, select a nice tune to listen to before buying it, maybe even try to give it a go in one of the many instruments that were displayed around… She thought of Cat and how the girl would have loved to see this place too. But Ellie was happy she wasn’t there; she was happy because Cat was safe and sound back in Jackson, and that’s where she belonged.

With a sigh, Ellie looked around some more, finding some old gear pieces that could come in handy later and a half-empty ammo box. After making sure she had looked through all the rooms on the first floor, she headed upstairs, trying not to step on any of the rotten floorboards. The first room she walked into was completely empty, except for a guitar case on top of a wooden crate. Ellie was opening it before she even realized her feet had moved, and she found a light brown acoustic guitar in it, apparently in perfect condition if it wasn’t for the three strings that were missing. Ellie ran her fingers through the remaining ones, the accords of a familiar song filling her head.

_Some folks call this thing a gee-tar._

Joel’s words rang perfectly around the room, causing Ellie to quickly look behind her to check. But he wasn’t there, of course he wasn’t, and instead she was met with Tommy’s sad eyes staring at her from the doorway.

“Found anythin’?” He asked, but Ellie simply shook her head, looking away.

“No, just… Just an old guitar, that’s all.” She closed the case again and before Tommy could leave, she continued “Hey, Tommy, I…”

He stopped in his tracks and looked back at her.

“I’m sorry about what I said last night.” Ellie admitted, fidgeting with the shoulder straps of her bag “I was just angry.”

Tommy gave her a soft smile, his ponytail a little messy since he’d taken his helmet off “It’s alright, Ellie. You have every right to be. Just don’t let that cloud your decisions. I’m here for you, ‘kay?”

Ellie sighed, knowing he had a point “Okay.” She smiled a little bit too, glad they had taken that out of the way.

“C’mon now, we still gotta find that Courthouse place, see if there’s anyone there before we head back to the gate.”

Ellie nodded and they both made their way to the streets again. There were still a lot more to explore.

**.**

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.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> I know not much happened here, but it needed to be done in order to set things up for the next two chapters. And as always, I would love to hear your comments about it, so please let me know your thoughts down below.
> 
> See you next week!
> 
> xx


	9. The FOB (part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> Thank you once again for all the support on this story, I really appreciate all of the kudos and comments <3
> 
> As you can see from the title, I had to split this chapter into two parts. Due to some personal reasons, I wasn't able to finish everything tonight and I didn't wanna leave you without an update this weekend. But don't worry, the second part will be up at some point during the week.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 09 – The FOB (part I** **)**

**Abby – Seattle Day 1**

_Abby walked down the familiar corridor, her feet heavy and her breathing getting caught on her throat. She wanted to leave that place, to turn back and take the elevator down, but the only way was forward, taking her to the also familiar red door. Once again, the sounds coming from the emergency sirens were echoing through the building, the lights casting a reddish shadow on Abby’s face every time she walked past one of them._

_The blonde girl approached the door slowly and tightened the grip on her pistol. She knew what she was going to find in there, the scene had been engraved in her head since the day it happened and Abby was so tired of reliving it every night over and over again. Her father’s dead body on the floor, a pool of blood getting bigger around him as the seconds went by, a forgotten scalpel on his right hand… She knew what was about to come and she definitely wasn’t looking forward to it._

_After a failed attempt at calming her own breathing, Abby pushed the door open and took a step inside, already catching a glimpse of a shadow moving behind the curtains in the operation room. She also knew who was waiting there for her and a shiver ran down her spine as the girl finally walked into the second room. Abby quickly adverted her eyes when she spotted her father’s body, focusing on her boots for a few moments, but when she looked up again, it was the other man that caught her attention. He had his back to her, but the girl knew it was him; it was Joel Miller. However, since Abby knew his features well enough now, he wasn’t that shadowy and overly large man with a blurry face anymore; instead, Joel was just like the day she met him, with his light brown coat, grizzly hair and holding a revolver on his hands._

_But something seemed off and before Abby could put much thought into it, Joel turned around, making the girl gasp out loud. The left side of his face was a bloody mess, his eye bulging out of his socket and his ear completely unrecognizable, as if it had been crushed several times. Joel tried to take a step forward, but the hole on his knee made his leg fail, and he stumbled and fell to the floor with a low thud. The sound caused Abby to jump backwards and drop her pistol._

_“Shit.” She cursed and looked down to search for it, but when Abby held it in her hands again, the gun changed its shape to something heavier “What…?” Her pistol was now a shotgun, with blood dripping from its grip, staining the girl’s hands. She looked around the room, trying to find a way out, but her mind could only focus on the two bodies lying dead on the floor._

_“Abby.” She heard a voice in the distance._

_“No.” The girl threw the shotgun away and sunk to the floor, bringing her knees close to her chest and hugging them “I just wanna leave this place, please.”_

_“Hey, Abby.” She felt hands touching her, but she closed her eyes tightly, wishing everything would just disappear._

_“Abs, wake up!”_

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.

.

.

Abby jolted awake and the book that she was holding close to her chest fell to the floor, next to Manny’s feet “Dammit.”

“Buenos días, sunshine.” She heard him say as she was still trying to rub the sleep off her eyes and get the images from her recurring nightmare out of her head “You okay? Seems like you were having a hard time.”

“Yeah, I’m okay, just…” Abby sat down and shook her head a little, focusing again on the reality in front of her “What’s up?” she sighed and looked at her friend.

“I figured you’d be crashing here. We’re being called up. Isaac wants us at the front.” Manny explained and Abby noticed that he was fully dressed, ready to leave.

“Really? Are you serious? I thought we had one more day off.” They still had three days before the attack, but she didn’t think Isaac would call them so soon to the FOB.

“Well, you know the boss. He wants us there before lunch time, so we better get a move on.” Manny grabbed the book that had fallen and gave it back to her.

“Shit, what time is it?” Abby got up and placed the book back on one of the library shelves.

“Just a bit past 8.” Many said, heading to the door “Oh, and thanks for giving me the room last night.”

Abby saw the grin on his face and couldn’t help but smiling too. Every time Manny wanted some private time with one of his one night stands, Abby would give him the room for the night and just crash somewhere else in the Stadium, preferably in the library, where she could catch up on some reading before falling asleep. The only downside was the uncomfortable lounge chairs that made her neck hurt like hell the morning after.

“No problem.” Abby rubbed her nape, trying to ease the tension there “Who was it this time, the cook chick?” She asked as she followed him out of the room.

“Nah, the weather chick. She’s down from the mountain.” Manny replied, still grinning.

“Oh, the scientist. Nice. Managed to learn something?” Abby teased him.

“I mean, she kept rambling about that storm Isaac seems to be obsessed with, but I couldn’t pay much attention, you know… I had other things on my mind.” Manny turned to her friend and wiggled his eyebrows.

“I’m sure you did.” Abby laughed and they climbed down a set of stairs “No wonder you’re always on a good mood.”

“Hey, you know I’m down to crash somewhere else to give you the room too, right?” He said “It would help you relax a little, blowing off some steam, you know?”

But Abby was already shaking her head, not really wanting to talk about that “Manny, can we not?”

Her friend kept going though “Besides, I’ve heard some guys talk about you, and to be fair, some girls too.”

“Hey, we’re about to reach the kids.” Abby said with her hand on the door’s handle that led to the Kindergarten classrooms “Keep it in your pants.”

Manny laughed before she opened the door “Fine, fine.”

They passed a couple of classrooms, seeing that the classes had already started, and headed to the canteen on the next room. The place was full of people, most of the units and workers getting their breakfast before heading out.

“I gotta talk to my Dad for a second. Can you grab us something to eat?” Manny asked her and Abby just nodded, making her way through the tables and stopping on the queue to get whatever they were serving that morning.

She didn’t see Jordan or Nick, so they must have left already to gather the supplies downtown like Jordan had said the last time they met. Leah was already at the TV station and Nora had left a couple of days ago to the FOB to keep the med bay in check. Abby hoped she could catch up with her friend before Isaac threw them on some other crazy task.

“Good morning, Abby. It’s burrito day.” One of the kitchen workers greeted her happily, pulling Abby out of her thoughts.

“Can I get two? Manny and I are heading to the FOB.”

“Here you go. Good luck out there!” The girl said and Abby grabbed her food, going to where Manny was sitting with his father.

“Hey, sir.” Abby touched the older man’s shoulder lightly and he turned around, smiling at her.

“Ah, Abby!” Mr. Alvarez raised his trembling hand to greet the blonde woman “Good to see you.”

“How are you feeling?” She asked, happy to see him at the canteen again. After they got back from Wyoming, Abby and Manny learned that Mr. Alvarez’s condition had gotten worse during the harsh winter, since his joints and old age didn’t handle well with the cold. Either Nora or Mel was always tending to him and now with spring rolling over they were hoping he would get a bit better.

“Fantastic.” The old man answered and then turned to touch Manny’s face “Would you please tell him to get rid of this?”

Abby laughed at Mr. Alvarez’s reluctance to see Manny with a beard “Ugh, I’ve tried.”

“What can I say? I look good!” Manny said like it was an understatement.

“Te ves horrible.” His Dad replied, but Manny just shrugged it off and put a hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Bueno. We have to head out. Stay safe, alright? I’ll see you over the weekend when I get back.” Manny kissed his father’s temple before getting up and Abby smiled a little at the sweet gesture.

“Keep him safe.” Mr. Alvarez turned to Abby one last time.

“For you, I will.” The blonde reassured him and headed to the door with Manny “I got everything, we’re ready to go.”

“Oh, we’re gonna need one more.” Many eyed the burritos on Abby’s hands “Hold on a sec.”

“Manny, what do you mean?” Abby tried to question him but he was already making his way to the counter, probably asking for another burrito. Why would they need another one anyway?

“Alright. Don’t freak out.” Manny was back and Abby didn’t like where this was going “Mel’s coming with us.”

_Of course_ , Abby sighed “Ah, c’mon, Manny.” She complained.

“Hey, don’t be like that. She’s staying at the FOB for a couple of days and since we’re going there anyway, I offered her a ride.” He explained like it was the most ordinary thing in the world. And maybe it was, but Abby wasn’t going to admit it.

“Of course you did.” Abby sighed again and headed to the exit doors “Why are you doing this to me?”

“Cause I care about both of you… And I know you can be cool with each other again if you’re given the chance to talk more.” Manny sounded genuine and Abby wanted to believe his words.

“Easier said than done.” Abby started to climb the stairs that led to the dorms. Despite their long term friendship, Abby kept thinking that there was always going to be some sort of tension between her and Mel, given her past relationship with Owen.

“Just promise me you’ll try.” He said when they finally approached their room.

“Sure.” Abby nodded and handed him his burrito “I just gotta get my pack. Meet me here in 5?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna grab Mel.” Manny keep going down the hallway and Abby opened the door to her room.

She took a bite of her burrito, thinking she might as well eat while getting her stuff ready. Taking in the room, the first thing Abby noticed was a deep red bra hanging from the rail that divided the upper and lower areas.

“Scientist, huh?” Abby took the piece of clothing with the tip of her fingers and threw it on Manny’s bed; she definitely didn’t want to think about how it ended up where it was.

Taking another bite from her breakfast, Abby headed to her bed and took off the old t-shirt she was wearing, changing into a sleeveless one since it looked like it was pretty hot outside. She already had a change of clothes inside her backpack, so she just grabbed her jacket and her water canteen. After finishing up her burrito, she washed her hands, ignoring the pile of dirty dishes that she certainly wasn’t doing now, and grabbed her backpack just in time to see Manny and Mel entering the room.

“Ready to roll?” Manny asked, also grabbing his bag that was next to his bed.

“Sure.” Abby answered, her eyes going to Mel, who was standing awkwardly in the middle of the room. Her belly was huge now, probably going into the eighth month if Abby remembered correctly, and she wondered why they were still calling her for duty “Hi, Mel.”

“Hi.” The shorter girl answered.

“You can probably get a stay if you ask.” Abby tried to do the ‘talking’ thing Manny had asked her before.

“I’d rather not sit around if I don’t have to.” Mel replied “Besides, I’m just gonna help some rookies that need training at the med bay. It’s not a big deal.”

“And Owen’s okay with this?” Abby thought he wouldn’t want his pregnant girlfriend putting herself in danger outside the Stadium.

“Why would it be up to Owen?” Mel questioned her, but didn’t wait for a reply “We need to grab Alice on our way. Let’s get going.”

Abby remained still on her place as she watched Mel leaving through the side door, already regretting the three sentences that left her mouth.

“Hey.” Manny touched her shoulder and whispered “Do better.”

Abby just rolled her eyes and gave him a slight shove as they both followed the other girl outside. The stands around the field had been turned into small shacks divided by tasks; there were the ones for vegetables and the greens, the ones with a few grills to prepare the meat, others dedicated to the laundry, not to mention that the field itself was now home for the livestock, chickens and the dogs’ kennel, and several greenhouses in the back to keep the food stock full during winter. The Stadium was definitely the WLF strongest base and Abby wondered how many units Isaac was going to spare to keep it protected during the attack.

As they reached the lower section, Abby could already hear all the barking coming from the kennel where the German Shepherds were kept, either waiting to go on patrols with their owners or training with one of the keepers. Mel approached the check-in point and the lady in charge of it told her Alice was playing in one of the fenced areas.

“Abby, you wanna grab her?” Mel asked, taking Abby by surprise, but maybe the shorter girl wanted to make amends in the end, besides the fact that she knew how much Abby loved animals.

“Of course.” Abby opened the gate to the playing area, being greeted by a very excited Alice “Hey, girl. I missed you.” The blonde kneeled down in front of the dog, fluffing her thick fur. Alice was around 4 years old and while her black snout made her seem intimidating, she was very playful and friendly, probably one of the reasons Mel picked her while she was still a pup.

“Hi, Al.” Mel approached her while Manny opened the other gate for them “You wanna go to the trucks? Let’s go to the trucks.” Alice’s hears perked up at the sound of Mel’s voice and she followed her owner excitedly.

“I’ll catch up with you guys in a minute.” Abby said as she saw one of the other dogs get closer to her with a tennis ball on his mouth “Oh, Bear, don’t be jealous.” Abby scratched his torso as he wiggled his tail. Bear had lighter fur than Alice and was a bit smaller for a male Shepherd, but it didn’t stop him from being one of their best “I missed you too. You wanna play with the ball? Yeah?”

Bear barked once and Abby grabbed the tennis ball, throwing it in the back of the playing area. Like a good dog, Bear ran for his life to get it and bring it back to the blonde in a second “Who’s the best boy, huh? Yeah, it’s you.” Abby petted him again, much to his delight, and she could already feel her mood go up. Abby knew her love for animals definitely came from her father and even though she reprimanded him for his shenanigans in the Salt Lake Zoo back in the day, she really had fun with him and the wild animals there.

“Okay, Bear, I have to go now.” Abby threw the ball one last time before heading out “Be a good boy today, alright?”

He barked a couple of times and ran after the ball. Abby locked the gate behind her and followed the road ahead where her friends were waiting for her, past the checkpoint that led to the armory.

“Hey, Abby.” The lady on duty greeted her as she passed by, her feet up on the table since it was a pretty chill morning.

“Hi.” The blonde waved back and she almost missed something glowing on the ground. Abby got closer to the object and took it to get a better look at it “Huh, another quarter.” She spun the coin with her fingers and read the word _Vermont_ written on one of its sides. _I don’t have this one. Cool._

Not wanting to get distracted by another one of her father’s habits that he had passed along to her, Abby picked up her pace and went to the Armory, where Mel and Manny were checking out their guns and the truck. Abby grabbed her usual combo of a handgun and an assault rifle and headed towards Manny, who was standing next to the gun range room.

“I could use a warm up. Down for some friendly competition?” Manny perked one of his eyebrows up.

“Only if the loser cleans the apartment.” Abby smiled, grabbing one of the ear protectors from the box.

“Oh, high stakes, I see.” Manny grabbed one for himself as well “Just remember how I saved your ass back in Jackson from those infected.”

“Yeah, cause they were probably freezing in that cold and couldn’t move so fast.” She retorted and walked into the room.

“Alright then. Best score on a full magazine?” Manny picked one of the booths and Abby stayed on his left.

“You’re one, cabrón.” Abby heard him laugh and she pushed a red button that made the targets move to the back of the room.

Getting her AR ready, Abby pulled out the safety lock and placed the stock firmly in front of her right shoulder, firing the first bullet which landed right on one of the red section of the target. She kept alternating the remaining of her magazine between head and chest, not missing a single shot since keeping her aim steady was definitely one of her best skills as a soldier.

“Ha! Would you look at that.” Abby pressed the red button again and Manny did the same from his side. He peaked inside her booth to look at her target and it was clear that he had lost by 7 points.

“I’m requesting that gun next time.” He huffed, taking off his ear protector.

“Yeah, the gun is why I won.” Abby wasn’t going to miss the chance to tease him a bit more “Oh, and that reminds me… There’s a huge pile of dirty dishes.”

“You’re cruel.” Manny held the door open for her and they both put the gear back in the box.

“More ammo if you two need it.” One of the guys said and Manny thanked him, grabbing enough for both of them.

“C’mon. Mel’s waiting.” He pointed to the garage door and Abby followed him, hoping they could get to the FOB without any setbacks.

.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading! 
> 
> As always, I would love to hear your thoughts on the story so far, so please leave a comment below if you want to, it means a lot to me. I know the changes are happening slowly, but like I said before, I need to go through the beginning so I can take the characters where I want them to be in the near future.
> 
> Part II will be up in a couple of days, so I'll see you all soon.
> 
> Take care!
> 
> xx


	10. The FOB (part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> Once again, thank you for all the amazing support you've been giving this story, I really appreciate it <3
> 
> It took me a little longer, but her's the second part of the chapter. Hope you like it.
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 10 – The FOB (part II** **)**

**Abby – Seattle Day 1**

“So um, how have you been sleeping these days?” Mel asked, trying to keep their conversation going. They were on the back of the truck, heading to the FOB, and while Abby insisted that Mel should ride on the passenger’s seat since she was pregnant, Manny said both girls needed some alone time to talk and gave Alice the empty seat instead. “The load on your shoulders must be way lighter now after Jackson, right?”

Mel’s casual question caught Abby off caught, but the blonde simply shrugged it off with a tight smile “Yeah, totally, I mean… I’ve just been restless cause of this whole deal with the attack, that’s all.”

“Do you think we have the upper hand? Heard we lost another hatchery the other day.” Mel sounded worried.

“Well, we have enough firepower, that’s for sure. Our scouts haven’t returned from the island though, so we’re still blind when it comes to it. We don’t know exactly what to expect.” The Seraphite Island was a complete grey area to the Wolves, hence why it was so hard to predict how many people lived there.

Mel sighed and put a hand on her belly, keeping her balance as the truck made its way through the irregular road “Owen’s been restless too. He keeps going back to the Aquarium to work on that damn boat.”

“Has he convinced you yet? About going to Santa Barbara with him, I mean.” Abby asked, thinking about the conversation Owen had with them the last time they spoke.

“He doesn’t think it’s a good idea for us to stay here, especially with Isaac’s paranoia getting worse every day. Who knows what’s he gonna do after the attack.” Mel was right and Abby knew that “With the baby this close, we either do it now or…” She sighed, lowering her gaze.

“It’s a risky shot, yeah. Manny and I got your back, though.” The blonde said.

“That’s right!” Manny reassured her from the driver’s seat, but before any of them could say anything else, a blast of bullets hit the side of the truck, and Manny almost lost control.

“Shit! Ambush!” Abby’s hand flew to get a hold on her AR while she tried not to get hit.

“Fucking Scars! Hold on tight!” Manny yelled and speeded up as a dozen of Seraphites on horseback approached them from all sides.

“Stay low!” Abby told Mel and started to shoot back.

Manny was trying to keep the truck on the road, but it was hard since there weren’t many free routes to follow and he still needed to pay attention to all the debris scattered around “Get us out of here!” Abby shouted, taking out a few Scars, but more kept coming from behind the buildings.

“I’m trying!” Manny replied, his voice muffled by all of the gunfire and Alice’s barking coming from the passenger’s seat “Gonna go through that alley, keep ‘em off me!”

Abby kept shooting at the Seraphites, throwing them off their horses, but it was clear they were not giving up. Suddenly, one of them threw a molotov on the truck’s windscreen and Manny had to get off the road.

“Fuck! Hold on tight!” He guided the truck over some trees and bushes, going down a small hill until it crashed on a couple of dumpsters.

Abby groaned, feeling the impact of Manny’s crazy maneuver “You okay?” She turned to Mel, who was slowly getting up.

“Yeah.” The shorter girl was catching her breath, but seemed fine.

They all got out of the truck since it was pretty much destroyed now, and Alice jumped out too, standing next to Mel.

“How far are we from the FOB?” Abby asked while she reloaded her rifle.

“It’s a hike.” Mel’s answer was followed by a Seraphite whistle, which made them perk their heads up.

“We’re too exposed. Let’s get inside.” They all followed Manny into an abandoned warehouse and Abby closed the door, hoping they could mislead their enemy.

The place was pretty dark, so they turned on their flashlights and started to look for a passageway. Alice was wide alert and Abby was glad the dog was with them since she could spot the infected with ease.

“We should’ve taken our chances outside.” Mel said as they walked further into the building.

“Nah, we got this.” Manny reassured her and then pointed to a half broken crate “Hey, Abs. There’s enough stuff here to make a pipe bomb.”

“Copy that.” The blonde grabbed the supplies Manny was talking about – an empty canister, some explosive powder and some alcohol, and quickly made a couple of pipe bombs out of them.

They continued walking to the other room, which was larger and with many different aisles, some of them being taking over by the vegetation coming from the outside “Lots of places to hide in here.” Abby stated, keeping her gun ready.

Alice then let out a low growl, warning them that something was nearby “Shit.” Mel moved quickly to get behind a counter “We got company.”

Abby crouched behind it too, hearing the mumbling and groaning of a few runners ahead of them “I see it.” She said, spotting one of them by the corner, behind a pile of pallets “Manny, cover me up.”

Without making any noise, Abby approached the runner from behind and grabbed it by its neck, pressing hard until it broke with a crack. Manny nodded at her, waiting for the other runner to turn around so he could do the same. The last one was behind a wooden structure and Abby finished it with no effort.

“Looks like we’re clear.” She said and Mel got out of her cover with Alice on her toe “Do you see a way out of here?” They all looked around, searching for a door or a breach on one of the walls.

“What about that?” Mel pointed out to a hole on top of one of the shelves, but it was too high for them to reach; they would have to go to the other side.

“Lemme see if we can make it across the other room.” Abby climbed on one of the metal structures, balancing on some pallets so she wouldn’t fall off; at least it wasn’t too high, otherwise she would already feel her stomach turning. From up there, she could see the other room, but it was impossible to reach without jumping across to the other structure.

“Think you can make the jump?” Manny asked from down below.

“We’ll see.” Taking a deep breath, Abby launched herself forward, landing with a thud on the other side. Thing is, the metal was too rusty and it started to give up “Fuck.”

“Abby!” She heard Manny call out for her, but she was already falling on the floor with some of the wooden plates landing on top of her.

All the noise must have gotten the attention of more infected, because the next thing Abby was a wild clicker coming towards her “Guys.” She grabbed her pistol with one hand while the other one was trying to hold the plates from crushing her.

She shot it one, two times and before it could get any closer, Alice jumped on the clicker, ripping its face off like it was a sack of meat. Manny kneeled down next to Abby, holding the plates up so she could get up while more infected started to show up.

“Here they come, get ready!” Mel warned them, her rifle aimed at a runner that was making its way towards them. More were coming from the back and Abby started to move, knowing that getting surrounded was pretty much a death sentence.

She shot a couple of runners down, hearing Manny and Mel doing the same as they kept rotating around the room. Another clicker showed up and seeing that she wouldn’t have time to reload her gun, Abby grabbed a piece of wood that was lying on the floor and hit it on its face; then, Manny finished off with a few more bullets.

“Watch that shambler!” Mel shouted, taking a couple of steps back as the large infected stumbled towards them.

Abby shot at the shambler, being careful not to stand too close to it, but she would need something stronger to bring it down. Thinking about the pipe bombs she had made earlier, Abby got them out of her bag and lit up the fuse.

“Stand back.” Warning her friends, the blonde threw one bomb after the other, watching as the infected got its legs blew off to pieces. They all waited for the shambler’s acidic gas to dissipate in the air so they could move past it.

“Everybody good?” Manny checked on them.

“Yeah. We’re good.” Mel was still looking around, probably afraid of being jumped by another runner.

“Let’s just get the fuck out of this place.” Abby went to the back of the building, eager to find an exit. She spotted a metal gate and a sign that read _Garden_ , so maybe they could go through there. “Guys. This way.”

The gate was barricaded from the other side, but Abby and Manny managed to push it open, leaving enough room so they could all squeeze through. The new area seemed like a greenhouse, with lots of vases and garden equipment lying around, not the mention that the ground was covered with wild flowers and tall grass.

“Abby. This reminds me of your Dad’s greenhouse.” Mel commented as they scanned the area.

Abby smiled, thinking of how her Dad insisted on rebuilding an abandoned greenhouse they had found on one of the accessible areas of the zoo in Salt Lake City “Shouldn’t. All these plants are alive.” Despite his excitement and willingness, Abby’s Dad wasn’t really good at gardening.

Mel snorted, smiling too “Good point.”

“You know what? This is good.” Manny said casually “You two needed a bonding moment.”

“Shut up, Manny.” Both women said at the same time and he just brushed them off.

“Alright, alright.” He raised his hands on his defense “C’mon, looks like we can climb up on top of that car.”

There was a truck by one of the fences and they managed to get on top of it and finally reach the outside again.

Looking up ahead in the distance, Abby could see the big building they were trying to reach “It’s not too far now.”

“Just keep your eyes and ears sharp. Scars might be close.” Manny said and they started following the street.

“Well, it does seem too quiet here. This could be a bad sign.” Mel had her rifle ready.

“Keep checking those sightlines.” Abby said as they reached a blockade on the road “It doesn’t seem we’re going this way anyway.”

“Maybe through this repair shop?” The shorter girl pointed to a large building that probably led to the other side of the street.

Abby tried opening the door, but the barricade on the inside was too heavy for her to push it “Let’s find another way in.” Abby looked around, seeing a torn out cable hanging from the roof “Hey, Manny. See what’s up there.” The blonde boosted his friend up with no effort so he could grab the cable and climb until the top.

“There’s a hole on the roof. I’m gonna climb down and open the door for you.” Manny yelled from up there and Abby just nodded, heading to where Mel was waiting with Alice close to her.

After a few minutes, they heard a noise of metal scrapping the floor coming from inside and then the door opened “Come on in.” Manny was a bit sweaty “Think you’re the only one working on your guns?” He flexed slightly, but Abby simply pushed him away, making room for her and Mel.

“You’re an idiot.” She said, knowing that Manny never missed an opportunity to tease her.

“I love you too.” He replied.

“Hey you too, come check this out.” Mel called them from the other area “It’s some kind of boat workshop.”

Abby and Manny followed her further into the building, noticing how big the place was. There were a few workbenches around and lots of materials that could still be salvaged.

“Damn, look at the size of that thing.” Manny pointed out to a huge sailboat that was hanging from the ceiling by large canvas suspenders, and its hull supported by some metal structures on the floor “Looks similar to the one Owen’s trying to fix.”

“Yeah, and if I remember right, he mentioned something about scavenging for parts around this area. Maybe he’s found this place before.” Mel said, looking up too.

That was also a huge green gate with two cranks on each one of its sides. After taking a look around and grabbing everything they thought it could be useful, Abby and Manny stood next to the cranks so they could pull the gate open.

“Okay, Mel, be careful.” Manny said to his friend and they both started to crank the thing up. When there was enough space for her to squeeze through, Mel got under the gate with Alice, reaching the other side. “You go now.” He told Abby, but the blonde shook her head.

“No, you won’t be able to hold it up. Just go.” She groaned, holding as hard as she could to the crank.

Manny hesitated for a few seconds, but then got under the gate too “I’ll try to keep it opened for you. Maybe I can find something out here.”

“Forget, it’s not gonna hold.” Abby saw it coming and not even a second later, the crank broke in her hands and the gate came down with a loud crash “Fuck.” She hissed, throwing the metal part on the floor.

“Abby! You okay?” She heard Manny call her from the other side.

“Yeah. The crank broke, that’s all.” She looked around, searching for another way out until she spotted an opened hatch leading to the roof “Looks like there’s a hatch here. I’m gonna find a way up, just hold on.”

“Alright then.” Mel said “Be careful.”

Abby turned around, trying to see how she was going to get to the hatch. There were some stairs leading to the second floor, so maybe she could reach the boat in the middle of the room and get to the platform on the other side. She went up the stairs and since the door was locked, she had to break the lock with a few kicks.

“Okay, now something to help me get to the boat.” The blonde looked around and saw an old ladder on the ground that she could definitely sue as a platform.

She lifted it up, lining the ladder so its other end would land on the boat, and then dropped it down carefully. Abby made it across, trying not to think about how high she was from the floor, and decided to check inside the boat for anything worth scavenging. She found a couple of canisters and an old baseball bat, which she put on the back of her bag. Leaving the lower deck, she looked up again, trying to figure out how she was going to climb on the metal platform to reach the hatch. There was a rope tied to a railing on the boat and despite being risky, Abby knew the only way would be to throw the rope over one of the metal bars on top of the platform and use it to get to the catwalk that led to the hatch.

Abby did exactly as she had planned and got to the catwalk in a few minutes, trying her best to keep her balance since she was pretty high now “Fuck me. I should’ve gotten under the gate first.” Abby breathed out in regret.

She walked slowly to the other end of the catwalk and reached the hatch, glad that it wasn’t locked or anything. Forcing it open, Abby climbed the steps up and finally got the roof.

“There you are!” Manny waved from where he was standing with Mel in the street “I think you can use that ladder to get down.”

“Okay!” Abby approached the ledge carefully, checking the ladder Manny was talking about. It was right on the side of the building, but it seemed way too small and fragile to hold the blonde’s weight. “Are you kidding me? It’s not gonna hold!”

“C’mon Abs! It looks sturdy enough, you can do it.” Manny said, but Abby just shook her head.

“I’m gonna fall, it’s too high!” She looked down as if she needed confirmation of what she was saying and instantly regretted it, feeling the world around her spin.

“Don’t look down, Abby, and focus on your breathing. You’re not gonna fall.” Mel reassured her.

Abby took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself down, and put one of her feet on the ladder, holding so tight to the small metal bars she thought she was going to break them “Oh god, please…” The blonde shut her eyes tightly when she realized she still had three more stories to go.

“That’s it, Abs. Now keep going.” Manny was trying to encourage here “Just imagine there’s a Scar coming for you and you gotta move fast!”

“Um, I don’t think that’s very helpful, Manny.” Abby heard Mel say as Manny muffled a laugh.

_Pendejo_ , the blonde cursed her friend mentally and kept climbing the steps down. Reaching the end, Abby released a long puff of air she didn’t know she was holding and cleaned the sweat off her brow.

_“_ There you go. It wasn’t so hard, eh?” Manny smiled, patting her back.

“Of all the things to be scared of…” Abby complained “Why not spiders or, I don’t know, clowns?”

“Well, that wouldn’t make the apocalypse so exciting.” Manny retorted but Mel shut him off before he could say anything else.

“Let’s get moving then. We have to reach the main street that leads to the FOB.”

They all agreed and walked past the back of the building. The sun was high up in the sky and they needed to pick up the pace if they wanted to reach the FOB before lunch time like Isaac had asked. There were a few abandoned cars and trucks around, but most of them were just blocking the roads, so the only way forward was by the fence wall that probably led to the railway.

“Man, when I get home…” Manny started with a loose smile on his lips “I’m gonna find a couch, watch a movie and drink till I pass out.”

“I like the sound of that.” Mel commented “Well, except the drinking part.” She touched her belly instinctively.

“Hey, remember last year when we all got pass out drunk for Abby’s 21st birthday?” Manny laughed and Abby rolled her eyes.

“The fact that I have no recollection of that day should answer your question.” Abby couldn’t help but smile too, foggy memories of their celebration crossing her mind.

“I think I threw up more that night than on my entire pregnancy.” Mel pointed out, causing Manny to laugh out loud.

“Ah, I can’t wait to have one of those chill out days again.” He said, scratching his beard.

“Let’s focus on getting to the FOB first, otherwise Isaac will have our asses.” Abby said, not wanting to piss off her boss “I think we can cut through the railway and make it to the main street on the other side.”

There was a big gap on the fence and they all climbed down, reaching the site where many train wagons were scattered around, some even off the trails. Suddenly, Alice started to growl, her body going stiff, ready to attack.

“What is it, girl?” Mel approached her and they all got their guns when they saw a few Seraphites scanning the area a few feet ahead. It was hard to see them since their typical brown cloaks mixed together with the environment, but Abby could spot two searching the wagons and at least one sniper standing on the high ground.

“We’ll have to be careful.” Abby crouched behind a few wooden boxes with her friends “Mel, you cover us up. And Manny, let’s try to take them down quietly.”

Nodding in agreement, they all went to their positions. Alice stayed behind with Mel, following her training, while Abby and Manny moved forward slowly, their boots sinking slightly on the red dirt beneath their feet. Two Scars were approaching them and Manny grabbed a brick from the ground, showing it to his friend. Abby quickly followed his train of thought and hid behind a bush, thick enough to cover her up. When the two Scars got close enough, Manny threw the brick to their opposite direction, making their enemies turn their heads to check out the noise. Taking the cue, Abby grabbed the Scar closest too her and put her arm around his neck, dragging the guy to the bush until she snapped his neck like it was nothing. Before the other one could turn back, Manny got out of his cover and finished him too, stealing his ammo.

“There’s more ahead, c’mon.” Manny pointed forward and they kept moving, using the wagons and the tall grass to their advantage.

“Do you see anything?” Abby was close enough to eavesdrop on whatever the Scars were talking about.

“No, not yet.” The other one answered, bow in hand ready to strike “But the Wolves wouldn’t venture this close to Martyr’s gate.”

“When have the Wolves done anything rational?” The man replied in annoyance “Keep eyes.”

Abby remained still, thinking of her next move. The sniper on top of the wagon in the back of the area was going to be a problem, since the woman would spot them easily from her position. Seeing that the two other Scars were scanning the wagon opposite to them, Abby approached Manny silently.

“We have to take down the sniper.” He said, reading into her plan as well “Got any ideas?”

“I think I have enough parts in my bag to craft a silencer, but I’ll have to get closer.” The blonde whispered, already taking off her backpack to take a look inside “Keep those two busy while I’m at it.”

“Got it.” Manny stepped away, jumping inside one of the wagons to hide.

Abby crafted the silencer with part of a plastic bottle she had found earlier and attached it to her pistol. Then, still crouching, she made her way to the sniper, using the piles of crates and the tall grass as cover until she was in range. Aiming right at the Seraphite’s head, Abby pulled the trigger and watched as the woman’s lifeless body fell from her watch post.

“What the…” What Abby didn’t expect was that another Scar was right behind a tree and he looked at her with wide eyes, already pulling the string of his bow to hit her.

But the blonde reacted faster and tackled the guy, landing on top of him. He tried to grab her and get off her tight grip, yet to no avail, and before he knew it, Abby used one of his own arrows to pierce his throat in a single motion. She cleaned her bloody hands on his cloak before getting up and spotting Manny wrestling with another Scar behind one of the wagons; he was about to finish him, but the other Seraphite woman saw what was happening and a loud whistle echoed through the area.

Before she could do anything about it though, the woman’s head blew off like a bomb, leaving both Manny and Abby with their mouths open. They heard a gun being reloaded and then turned around to watch Mel get up from where she was hiding with Alice, putting away her hunting rifle.

“Nice shot.” Manny thanked her with a smile.

“Thank you.” The shorter girl answered approaching them “Hope that was the last one.”

Abby looked around, not seeing any more Scars “Looks like it. Let’s not stick around to find out though. I think we can climb those wagons in the back and get over the wall.”

They all followed her and used the wooden crates to get on top of one of the wagons and finally get to the main street.

“Okay, it’s right past this gate, c’mon.” Manny was about to push it open, but he heard whistles coming from the other side “Shit, they’re close.”

“There’s no other way. Just stay down.” Abby pushed the gate open just enough to have them squeeze through.

It led right to an abandoned gas station and the Seraphites were already scanning the place; it would be impossible not to engage with them.

“Mierda. Get ready to fight.” Manny got his pistol ready.

Taking cover behind some old barrels, they shot at the Scars that were closer and then hell broke loose. Whistles were heard from all directions and Seraphites started to show up on top of the nearby buildings and from behind some of the abandoned vehicles around.

“Inside the gas station! Find some cover!” Abby made a run for it, jumping over the counter and hiding behind it. Mel and Manny did the same, with Alice always in tow, and another battle of bullets began. But the Wolves were definitely outnumbered and they were going to run out of ammo soon.

“Shit! I’m running low!” Manny shouted.

But before the Scars could gain on them, a loud noise coming from a car engine caught their attention and a few seconds later, two WLF trucks stormed the place, taking some of the fences down and running over a couple of Scars.

“It’s our guys!” Mel was clearly relieved when she realized who they were.

Abby also sighed in relief, since they would be screwed if no one had showed up, and watched as the two units finished off the rest of the Scars.

“Cease fire! It’s all clear!” One of the WLF soldiers called out and Manny went up to them.

“I love you guys! I’m gonna name all my children after you!” he greeted them in his overly excited way.

“Glad you guys were around.” Abby thanked them, climbing in the back of one of the trucks so they could leave the place.

“No problem. Let’s get out of here before more of those freaks show up!” The driver hit the door closed and both trucks made their way back to the FOB.

“Fuck, look what they did to me.” One of the soldiers groaned in pain, holding down his left hand, which was missing a couple of fingers.

“Here, let me see it.” Mel moved closer to him, grabbing the bandages he was trying to wrap around his wound. Despite the amount of blood, it didn’t seem too bad.

Less than five minutes later, the trucks were approaching the FOB’s gates, finally reaching the perimeter area. They stopped on one of the checkpoint gates so the guy and Mel could get down.

“I’m gonna take him to the med bay. Can you guys watch Alice?” She asked.

“Sure.” Abby rubbed the back of her head “And hey, you did alright back there.”

“That was almost a compliment.” The shorter girl replied, smiling anyway.

“We’ll catch up with you later.” Manny also said his goodbyes, petting Alice as she watched her owner stay behind with sad eyes “It’s okay, girl.”

The truck followed the road until the parking lot and they all got out. One soldier was already there to take Alice to the kennel and while Manny instructed him, Abby went ahead to check them in at the entrance. According to the lady on duty, there were no assignments for her and Manny, only report to Isaac as soon as they arrive. Abby thanked her and entered the main area, which was packed with people.

“I’ve never seen it so busy before.” Manny said, catching up to her. And that was true. There were a lot of new tents set up on the patio and judging by all the faces Abby didn’t recognize, many new recruits too; Isaac was really putting everything that he got into the attack. They chatted with a few people but then Manny spotted Nora talking to someone near the med bay and they both headed her way.

“And don’t forget the extra bandages, we’re running low.” Nora apparently was giving instructions to a new girl, who quickly nodded and went inside the main building “These new recruits, I swear to gosh…” She sighed when her friends approached her.

“Having fun training the newbies?” Abby greeted her.

“Oh, you have no idea.” The doctor complained, but smiled at her friends “Everything alright with you guys? I just saw Mel inside, she said you ran into some trouble on the way here.”

“Yeah, we got ambushed by those filthy Scars.” Manny spat on the ground “It’s all good though, some of our guys showed up and we finished them off.”

“Well, now they can say they saved your asses for once.” Nora arched her eyebrows and threw them a teasing look.

“Yeah, I mean… One time.” Abby smiled back “So what’s up? You staying here for the next days?”

“Ugh, no.” Nora replied with a heavy sigh “I’m shipping out to the west side hospital after lunch. Orders are to get everything.”

“Damn. According to Jordan, they’re doing the same downtown.” Manny commented “Isaac must be really confident this time.”

“Yeah, or completely out of his mind. By the way, you guys have a minute? I need to show you something.” Nora pointed with her head to a place near the med bay.

“What is it?” Manny asked while she led them to another facility, close to the med bay.

“Through here.” She opened the door for them, and Abby and Manny stepped inside.

“Oh my gosh.” Abby looked around, covering her nose due to the strong smell “Are these all ours?” Nora had taken them to the improvised morgue and, judging by the number of bodies bags, things haven’t been going too well on their side.

“Yeah. And more coming in by the hour.” Nora continued “It’s like they know we’re planning something. They’re getting bolder, setting up camps right under our noses, taking advantage of our blind spots… You saw it today.”

“Fucking Scars.” Manny mumbled, shaking his head.

Nora walked to the other side of the room, approaching a body bag that was lying on the floor “Come here. You can’t tell Mel, alright?”

Abby exchanged a quick look with Manny, suddenly getting a bad feeling about whatever Nora was going to say. The blonde stepped closer, watching as her friend kneeled next to the body bag.

“Who’s in the bag, Nora?” Abby asked, but Nora simply pulled the zipper open, revealing the person’s face.

“Holy shit.” Manny breathed out “It’s Danny.”

Abby closed her eyes for a second, relief washing over her after she realized it wasn’t anyone from her crew, but it didn’t last long because she knew who Danny was with on his patrol “Where’s Owen?”

Nora shook her head, closing the bag “I don’t know. The guards found Danny collapsed by the perimeter fence this morning. Apparently he walked himself back with a bullet on his stomach.”

Abby sighed and started to pace around the room “This can’t be happening.”

“Isaac talked with him until he passed but, as far as I can tell, there’s no units going back.” Nora explained.

“What about Owen?” Abby huffed, clearly annoyed “I can’t believe they’re not sending a search party for him. Did you ask Isaac what happened?”

“Yeah, I tried, but he gave me that fucking _look_ and told me to keep quiet about it.” Nora also sounded distressed “Which means you can’t say shit.”

The three of them stayed in silence for a few moments, lost in their own thoughts. Knowing how savage the Scars could be, Abby was worried that Owen would become an easy prey being by himself, especially if he was hurt.

“Hey.” Manny approached Abby “Owen’s a big boy. I’m sure he’s fine.”

The blonde nodded slightly, trying to believe in his words, and then turned to Nora again “Where’s Isaac?” She continued before her friend could interrupt her “We need to talk to him anyway. I’ll be discreet.”

“Last I heard, he was in the apartments.” Nora answered with a sigh and made her way to the exit door “Okay, I’m gonna head back to the med bay, so… Let me know what you guys find out.”

“Yeah.” Abby said as they left the facility, but just as Nora was closing the door, a wild Jordan with bloodshot eyes approached them stomping his feet.

“Puta mierda, Jordan!” Manny exclaimed “What the hell happened to your face, man?” There was a cut on Jordan’s right cheek and judging by the dried blood on his neck and shirt, it had just happened.

“It’s nothing.” He replied dryly and stopped right in front of Abby “I need to talk to you.”

“Jordan, let me take a look on that cut, it looks bad-” Nora reached her hand out, but the guy spat her away.

“I said it’s nothing!” He seemed very troubled and Abby wondered if it had anything to do with Owen “C’mon, Abby, I need to talk to you. Let’s go.”

“Jordan, calm down. What’s wrong with you?” The blonde frowned, her mind still trying to process the information Nora had just given her not even ten minutes ago. _This better not be another fucking bomb…_

“I need to show you something. Now come with me.” He answered through gritted teeth and Abby couldn’t remember the last time she saw him so angry.

“Alright. Geez…” she complied, raising her hands in her defense “I’ll catch up with you in a minute, Manny.” She didn’t have the chance to hear his reply, because her friend was already tugging her to follow him past one of the back gates that led to the back garage.

“Goddamn it, Jordan!” Abby picked up her pace to keep up with him “Are you out of your mind?”

“Ha, if only.” He scoffed “You’re gonna be like this once you see what I found.”

“And what the hell happened to you? Was it Scars?” Abby was clearly confused; first Danny showed up Dead, then Owen went missing and now whatever the fuck Jordan was going to show her.

But his friend didn’t answer her; instead, he just kept walking, going past the main garage where most of their trucks were and heading to the back area that was almost a junkyard. Abby noticed that only one truck was parked there, close to a pile of tires and wooden boxes.

“What’s this, Jordan? What’s in the truck?” She asked when he stopped right next to it.

“See it for yourself.” With that, Jordan lowered the tailgate and pulled out an old canvas that was being used to cover the back of the truck.

And there, tied with his hands behind his back and a gag on his mouth, was Tommy Miller.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, I would love to read your thoughts on the story so far, so please leave a comment below if you feel like it.
> 
> Hopefully I'll be able to squeeze the next chapter in by Sunday, but until then, let's think about how Tommy got himself in this situation :/
> 
> See you all soon. And take care!
> 
> xx


	11. The Serevena Hotel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> First of all, thank you so much for the support on this story, it means a lot to me. I'm glad so many of you are giving this a chance <3
> 
> Also, just some heads up for this chapter - tw: torture/violence. I know this is already tagged as M, but I want to keep making these individual notes whenever they are needed.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 11 – The Serevena Hotel**

**Ellie – Seattle Day 1**

After going around the downtown area of Seattle, Ellie was surprised to see it completely deserted, except for a few infected roaming inside the remains of a bank and in the courthouse garage. Other than that, she and Tommy hadn’t found a single human life and, again, the girl felt bothered by it, because either the WLF were very good at hiding or there weren’t any left anymore, and Ellie didn’t know which thought scared her the most. All her hopes were in the note that mentioned the Serevena Hotel; she was confident that they would find at least another clue pointing to the WLF whereabouts.

“Alright, let’s open this gate.” Tommy said after they headed back to Gate East 2, which led to another part of the city “Got the codes ready?”

“Yeah.” Ellie went to the panel next to the gate while Tommy turned on the generator using some of the gas they had stored on the bike. After they were done, there was a metal sound and the gate opened swiftly. “It worked.”

Tommy guided the bike through the gate, watching the road ahead that led to the hotel; the rusty cars and trucks were pushed to the side just enough to make room for another car to pass by, which meant that path was frequently used.

“Maybe we should leave the bike here for now.” He said, taking off his helmet after he parked his motorcycle behind a big truck “If there’s really someone there, they might hear us.”

“Okay.” Ellie took her helmet too and pulled her gun out, checking the magazine clip.

Tommy did the same, keeping his hunting rifle hanged on his shoulder, and they both walked quietly towards the hotel. The area surrounding it was barricaded with some old trailers and wooden plates, creating a tall perimeter fence, probably to keep the infected away. Or trespassers. As they got closer, Ellie could see a huge banner hanging from side to side on the higher windows of the building; there was a wolf’s drawing on it and the letters WLF under it.

“Huh, wolf. WLF.” Ellie huffed, making the connection “Makes sense now.”

“The place looks bigger than I thought, though. Let’s stick to the walls.” Tommy moved forward and Ellie followed behind, eyes on the windows in case there was someone up there scanning the area.

Keeping his back to the wall, Tommy peeked around the corner “See something?” Ellie whispered.

“There’s a truck parked at the entrance. It’s hard to see if-” Tommy didn’t finish his sentence because loud footsteps were heard coming from the other side of the wall.

“Careful with that shit, man!” A male voice shouted, making Tommy and Ellie back away a little more and hide behind a rusty car “If we drop a single ounce of this gas, Isaac will have our necks.”

Ellie looked at Tommy, silently asking if they should act right in the moment, but he just shook his head, telling her to wait a bit more. They heard a metal sound, as if something had been loaded on the truck, and then more voices. “We have two more, let’s go.” The footsteps faded away as the men made their way back inside.

“We found them.” Ellie whispered “The note was right.”

“It sure was.” Tommy checked the corner again, just to make sure they were safe “So we got a least two of ‘em here near the entrance and hell knows how many inside. We gotta be extra careful.”

“Alright. Maybe we can get in through there.” Ellie pointed to the far back of the street, near the blockage “We can climb on top of that van and reach the fire escape stairs. One of the windows must be open.”

“Yeah, sounds good.” Tommy followed the girl to the van, and they both crouched behind it to discuss their next move “We have to get some information out of ‘em, learn where the other outposts are; otherwise we’ll be walking on a minefield.”

“Do you think they’ll know where Abby and the others are? We have to find them.” Ellie knew it was risky to just search every area of Seattle for the woman, so they needed any sort of lead they could get.

“Probably. I’ll make them talk.” Tommy reassured her “Don’t worry.”

Ellie nodded and climbed on top of the van, reaching the stairs that luckily seemed sturdy enough. She checked the first window, but since it was barricaded, Ellie went to the next floor and spotted a way in. She signaled to Tommy, who made his up way carefully not to make any noise.

“Hey.” He touched her arm before Ellie could get through the broken window “You ready to do this?”

Ellie stared at him, knowing there was no turning back now. They were going to kill these guys, get information from one of them and then find Joel’s killer. Nothing was going to stop her. “Yes.”

And with that, they both entered the hotel.

.

.

.

.

Ellie’s eyes were sharp and aware, scanning the whole street from the window she was looking through, using the curtains to hide herself. She couldn’t see any movement past the gate on the right, but she was sure more of them were out there. She looked down at the hotel’s entrance, where the truck they saw earlier was parked; there were two barrels of gas on the back and she wondered where they were taking all that fuel. _Main base_ , she thought and then cast her eyes to the switchblade on her hands. It still had blood on one of its sides, so Ellie cleaned it on the back of her jeans, making sure she got everything this time.

“ _Son of a fucking bitch!_ ” She heard a groan coming from one of the rooms and put the blade back on her pocket, taking a step back from the window. She knew Tommy asked her to keep an eye outside, but it didn’t seem like anyone was going to show up.

She walked to one of the doors that was slightly ajar and pushed it open slowly, just enough to make room for her. Tommy had pulled the curtains down to partially block the sunlight, making the room glow with an eerie red tone from the cloth. Next to the king bed in the middle of the room was a man tied to a chair; he had a beanie on his head and his nose was bleeding. A few feet away was another guy, this one younger, and Ellie was sure he couldn’t be older than her. He was also tied down, but he was crying silently, his chin resting on his chest.

“Got something?” Ellie’s head turned to Tommy as he grabbed a knife from his bag.

“No. We’re clear.” She said, still standing by the door. The unit they had taken down wasn’t that large as they thought; only eight people, and they used the several rooms and entrances to their advantage, killing the Wolves silently, not without making sure they weren’t who they were looking for. But none of them matched Tommy’s description of the trio that was in Jackson.

“Just let me go, man. Please.” The guy with the beanie begged while Tommy double checked the duct tape he had used to tie the Wolf “I can help you. Both of you. I can get you out of the city, no one will notice, I swear.”

Tommy huffed and moved to stand in front of the guy “Don’t worry, you’re gonna help me. All you gotta do is answer a few questions, that’s all.”

The guy simply watched them, alternating his gaze between Tommy and Ellie.

“What were you doing here?” Tommy asked. It didn’t take long for Ellie to realize what he was doing; since they had found the note earlier with the orders, it would be easy to check if the guys were going to lie or not.

“Just a simple rotation, man. We were just following orders, I swear.” Beanie guy was quick to say, fumbling his feet against each other but they were tightly secure with the duct tape.

Tommy nodded and then turned to the younger guy, taking a step forward “Is he telling the truth?” When the guy didn’t answer, Tommy slapped him hard in the face “Look at me.”

He sniffled and lifted his head a little, tears streaming down his face. Ellie frowned at his behavior, thinking that a WLF member would be used to that kind of situation, or at least act tougher and more confident. Maybe he was just desperate.

“So?” Tommy was still waiting for an answer.

“He’s right, we were just following orders. We…” The guy sniffled again “We needed to store all the fuel here and then… And then report back, that was it.”

“And who’s Isaac?” Tommy asked him about the name that was on the note.

“He’s our boss.” The younger guy replied, flinching a bit when Tommy put a hand on his shoulder.

“Good. See, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Tommy rounded the chair “What’s your name, boy?”

“B-Bryan. It’s Bryan.” He stuttered.

“Okay, Bryan. Nothing’s gonna happen to you as long as you answer my questions, alright?” The boy nodded frenetically under Tommy’s heavy stare “How large is your group?”

“We got outposts all over the city.” Beanie guy answered first and Tommy looked back “It’s been like that since FEDRA fell.”

Ellie exchanged a quick look with Tommy; it did seem true given all the signs and the remains of dead soldiers they had seen when they entered the city, but the guy could be just bluffing.

“That’s why I’m telling you, man. I can get you out of the city quietly, no one needs to know about this.” The guy pressed on, but Ellie could see that Tommy was having none of his bullshit.

“I don’t think you’re in a position to offer any sort of negotiation.” Tommy pointed his knife at him “Besides, what I’m looking for is in the city and you two are gonna help me find it. Right, Bryan?”

The younger guy had stopped crying, but he still looked terrified and Ellie knew Tommy was going to use that to his advantage.

Tommy leaned on the guy's chair, pressing the blade on his chin not to draw any blood but enough to make him feel the pressure "I'm looking for a woman who's part of your group. Tall, blonde, early twenties. Goes by the name of Abby. You know her?"

Beanie guy laughed dryly "You're kidding me, right? There's hundreds of us, man. How the hell am I supposed to know everybody?"

Tommy backed away and turned to Bryan "It's up to you then, Bryan. Tell me, do you know a woman named Abby?"

"I don't know her, I'm just a rookie. I swear to God, please." Bryan pleaded "It's been only three weeks since I've joined the Wolves, please believe me."

Ellie saw the moment Tommy turned back to the beanie guy and landed a left hook on his face, making the guy spill blood on the carpet "Let me try again. Do you know a woman named Abby?" When the guy shook his head, Tommy punched him again and again "I know you got something for me. What about Nora and Manny, huh? These names ring any bells in your stupid head?"

"I fucking told you already!" Beanie guy said through gritted, bloody teeth "I don't know the name of every fucking Wolf, especially when there's new recruits joining in every week."

Ellie wondered what was going through Tommy's head, if he really believed what the guy was saying. It was hard to tell, because if the WLF was that big and spread out around the city, it would be hard to keep track of each and every member, but at the same time, Abby and her friends didn't seem to be average pawns, not from what Tommy had gathered.

“Alright.” Tommy sighed and then looked at Ellie, pointing towards outside. The girl took a couple of steps back to the corridor and Tommy followed her, closing the room’s door behind him. He had taken off his jacket and there were a few droplets of sweat on his forehead.

“You think he’s lying?” She asked quietly so they wouldn’t be heard.

“Possibly, yeah. The boy seems weak though, I’m sure he’s gonna give in first.” Tommy explained, folding the sleeves of his shirt to his forearm “Just keep watching the window, you don’t have to see this.”

“No, I…” Ellie licked her lips, feeling nervous all of a sudden “I wanna hear them say it.”

Tommy only nodded and headed back into the room whereas Ellie resumed her position by the door frame.

“C’mon, man, you can’t keep us here forever. Another unit is gonna show up and things will look bad for you. You don’t want your daughter to get hurt, right?” Beanie guy pointed his chin toward Ellie and the girl held tightly to the grip of her pistol.

“I’d watch that tongue of yours.” Tommy threw him a deadly look “I don’t want to rip it out, not before getting some answers out of you.”

“I don’t fucking know those people!” The guy insisted “Neither does Bryan, the boy is just a rookie, I’m telling you.”

“Is that right, Bryan?” Tommy turned to the kid and pulled out his knife again.

“Yes, I swear. Just let me go, please.” The boy started to beg again “I won’t tell anyone, just don’t kill me, man. Please.”

“No one’s dying here, Bryan, but you gotta cooperate with me, alright?” Tommy looked at him in the eyes “Okay? Can you do that for me?”

“Yeah…” The boy breathed out, his light blue shirt slowly turning dark due to all the sweat on his body.

“Good. Are you left-handed?” Tommy suddenly asked and the boy frowned in confusion.

“W-What?” The boy didn’t have time to process, because not even two seconds later, Tommy sunk his knife on top of Bryan’s left hand.

Ellie flinched a little when the boy let out a scream, his body jerking in pain trying to get rid of the restraints.

“What the fuck, man!” Beanie guy yelled, watching his friend’s desperate state.

“Oh God, oh God! Please, don’t!” Bryan cried out in pain, his bloodshot eyes staring at his fucked up hand “Please, please, please, I don’t wanna die…”

“Tell me what I need to know then, and it’s over, just like that.” Tommy spoke calmly, like he was having a casual conversation with a friend, and Ellie wondered how he managed to keep his cool like that.

“Hey, Bry. Just look at me, bro.” Beanie guy tried to get his friend’s attention “We’re getting out of this, I swear. Just hang in there.”

It was clear that they were hiding something now; well, at least one of them, Ellie was sure. But they needed some more considerable information; otherwise all of this would be for nothing.

“Tell me where to find Abby.” Tommy asked Bryan again but to no avail, since he didn’t stop crying.

“I don’t know… I swear…” He sobbed, his damp hair now falling in front of his eyes “Why are you doing this?”

“Just answer me, Bryan.” In a swift motion, Tommy raised his hand to rest on the knife’s grip, which caused the boy to stay still, white as a sheet of paper. For the second time, he let out a scream when Tommy twisted the blade on his hand and Ellie thought he was going to pass out from the state he was in.

“Arrrrgh God, stop! Stop, please!” He screamed out in pain “I’ll tell you, I swear to God, I’ll tell you!”

Tommy let go of the knife and the boy collapsed on his chair, almost choking on his breath as he tried to calm himself down.

“Bryan, don’t you fucking dare!” The other Wolf guy wrestled with his restraints, but there was nothing he could do about them.

“I’m so sorry, Nick. But I don’t wanna die.” Bryan sobbed, giving up his friend’s name in the process “He knows her. They’re friends, I’ve seen them talk multiple times.” He spoke in a rush, breathing heavily “Hair on a long braid and built like an ox, right? Yeah, that’s Abby. Now please let me go, man. Please.”

Ellie’s mind started to spin with the new piece of information and Tommy turned his head to the other Wolf, checking his reaction.

“He’s lying.” Nick, as Bryan had said his name was before, tried to argue, but it was too late now “He’s fooling you, man, he’s just trying to get away.”

Still keeping a calm façade, Tommy turned to Bryan again, who was watching him with expecting eyes “You did the right thing here, Bryan.”

Ellie saw a glimpse of relief wash over the Wolf’s face, but it was gone not even a moment later when Tommy pulled out his pistol from the back of his jeans and shot the boy in the head, making the chair fell backwards with a low thud.

“What did you do? Oh fuck!” For once, Nick looked terrified as he watched Tommy get his knife back from Bryan’s body and approach him silently “Hold on, man. Let talk this out.”

“I’ve had enough of this.” Tommy grabbed Nick by his throat, pushing the chair to the wall “Tell me where to find Abby.”

“I don’t know where she is and even if I did, I wasn’t going to fucking tell you, you piece of shit!” Nick barked back.

“You want a quick death like Bryan’s? Or do you want to keep going?” The anger on Tommy’s voice was a contrast to his calm demeanor and Ellie could only think that was something from his old days as a Firefly, fighting against FEDRA “Maybe we should wait for the other unit to arrive, then I can fuck them up too and resume my work with you.”

Nick remained in silence for a few moments, probably weighing his options. Ellie knew Tommy was going to kill him, it was just a matter of when and how, but she hoped they could get at least another lead of Joel’s killer whereabouts.

“Where can I find her?” Tommy repeated his question, his right hand still holding tight to the Wolf’s neck.

“I really don’t know, I swear. Isaac sends us on rotation all over the city, she could be anywhere, man.” Nick answered, struggling to breathe, and Ellie didn’t know if Tommy believed him or not, but he let go of the guy and took a step back.

“Isaac.” Tommy said the name of the WLF alleged leader “Was he the one who sent her to Jackson, Wyoming?”

The moment Tommy mentioned the name of their settlement, Ellie noticed something change on Nick’s face and the Wolf started to laugh quietly under his breath “So this is all about that.” He smiled wider, showing off his bloody teeth “You must be Joel’s brother, huh?”

Ellie couldn’t help but to gasp in surprise. _How the hell does he know that?_ It didn’t make any sense.

“I should’ve known.” Nick kept going, the disdain clear on his voice “No wonder you’re related, you’re fucking crazy just like him.”

As soon as the words left Nick’s mouth, Tommy attacked him, landing punch after punch nonstop. Ellie stood by the doorway, not knowing what do to while all the sounds echoing through the room were of wet flesh being hit again and again, blood spilling on the floor and on the curtains behind the chair.

“Shut the fuck up.” Tommy spat out, making a mess out of Nick’s face, who was long gone by now.

“Tommy.” Ellie finally moved her feet and touched his shoulder “Tommy! It’s done.”

He stopped and looked at her, still breathing heavily. Nick’s body lied motionless on the chair and whatever information they got from the encounter would have to do, because the mess was done and they needed to get out of there as quickly as possible.

Tommy wiped the sweat off his brow with the sleeves of his shirt and stepped away from the bodies, moving towards the bed to get the rest of his gear “Get your stuff. We gotta leave, it’s not safe here.”

“Okay.” Ellie already had everything with her and just followed Tommy downstairs to the hotel lobby.

“You got the code to the next gate?” Tommy asked, cleaning his hands with an old piece of cloth.

“Yeah.” Ellie grabbed the note with the codes from her backpack “Hey, how do you think he knew about Joel?” Ellie was trying to put the pieces together, but there were still too many missing.

“I don’t know, Ellie.” Tommy sighed and headed to the door “Let’s just get the bike and find a new hiding place so we can figure out our next move.”

Knowing that was the best thing to do, Ellie nodded and followed him to where they had left the bike.

.

.

.

.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, please let me know your thoughts on the comments below, all the feedback you give me is very important and I'm open to healthy discussions.
> 
> I'll see you next week. Take care!
> 
> xx


	12. Enemy Territory

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> Sorry for the delay, but here's another chapter. Hope you guys enjoy it!
> 
> Thank you once again for all the support you've been giving this story, it's much appreaciated <3
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 12 – Enemy Territory**

**Ellie – Seattle Day 1**

Leaving the hotel and a bunch of Wolf corpses behind, Tommy and Ellie made their way through the next gate using one of the codes written on the note. They were getting deeper into the city now and they knew that running into more and more WLF patrols would be just a matter of time. As they reached the next area, Tommy got out of the streets with his bike and entered a tight alley to the right, quickly killing the engine so it wouldn’t make any noise. It all seemed deserted, much like the downtown area, but they weren’t going to let their guard down; just because they couldn’t see the threat, it didn’t mean it wasn’t there.

“Here, be careful.” Tommy lifted a wooden plate that was blocking the back door so Ellie could get in and then squeezed himself too after her.

Ellie looked around, checking to see if they were safe; the place seemed like an old convenience store, with a few shelves lined up creating a couple of aisles, but it was mostly picked clean. The front door was barricaded and somehow the glasses from the windows had managed to hold up, which meant no one could get in that way.

“Let’s head upstairs.” Tommy had his gun on his hand as he started to climb the stairs up.

He opened the first door on the small corridor and Ellie followed him inside, turning on her flashlight since there wasn’t any other source of light. The room had the remainings of an office, with a chair, a copy machine in the left corner and a desk covered with old paperwork.

Putting his gun back on its holster, Tommy turned to Ellie “Still got that map of yours?”

“Yeah, here.” The girl opened her backpack and grabbed the old tourist map she had found when they got to the city.

“Okay, let’s take a look at this.” Tommy spread the map on the desk, leaning on it with both hands “From what that guy said, we should expect an outpost on each of these major points here.” Tommy moved his index finger through the map “The stadium, the aquarium… Maybe this conference center building as well. We still don’t know where the bombs hit harder around here or which places are tough to navigate.”

“That guy they kept mentioning… Isaac, their boss.” Ellie said, replaying the conversation in her head “You think he had anything to do with it?”

Tommy shook his head, a pensive look on his face “I don’t know. He might’ve made the call and sent them to Jackson, but… It just doesn’t make sense why a group this big would get out of their way to kill one man.” Tommy continued “They could’ve killed me too or…or attacked Jackson. But it felt different. It seemed somethin’ much more…” Tommy scratched his beard, looking for the right word.

“Personal.” Ellie completed and Tommy nodded in agreement “Was it some sort of payback then? Has Joel ever mentioned being around these parts?”

“Not that I remember, no.” Tommy looked at the girl “After we left Texas, we kept following east for years till we parted ways when I decided to join the Fireflies and he headed towards Massachusetts. And I reckon the WLF ain’t got bases anywhere else.”

“It doesn’t make any sense.” Ellie sighed, hanging her head on her chest as she also leaned on the desk.

“Hey.” Tommy softly rested his hand on her shoulder “We’re gonna find them and they’re gonna tell us why they did it. And then we’re gonna make them pay for it. Alright?” Ellie raised her eyes to him and she could see the determination on his gaze “Whatever it takes.”

“Whatever it takes.” She nodded and looked back at the map “So where do you think we should head next?”

“Let’s try and make our way to these buildings here.” Tommy pointed to the Seattle conference center “It’s quite in the middle of the city and maybe from up top we can get a better view of our surroundings.”

“Okay.” Ellie folded the map back when they were ready to leave, but suddenly they heard a noise coming from the streets.

“Shit! Flashlights off!” Tommy whispered as he crouched near the stairs, carefully eyeing the first floor.

Ellie followed him, already with her pistol in hand, and they listened closely. The sound was approaching them fast and when it got close enough, they realized it was a truck passing through the streets. Ellie peeked her head down just in time to see one of the WLF trucks passing by with four people in it, heading in the direction she and Tommy had come from.

“Oh fuck, they’re probably going to the hotel.” She turned back to Tommy, who had a frown on his face.

“We gotta move fast then, they’ll be on high alert after they find out what happened.” He slowly climbed down the stairs, keeping an eye outside just to check if they were really safe “C’mon.”

They got out through the small gap that led to the alley and Tommy started the engine, giving Ellie her helmet. She climbed on the back seat and Tommy set off a little too fast, but it wasn’t like they had any time to lose when a patrol was so close to them again. Most of the streets were blocked by old cars or completely taken by the trees, so Tommy kept going through the only clear path ahead of them.

After passing by three blocks at the most, a sudden and rapid noise cut through the air, followed by a low popping sound that almost made Tommy lose control of the bike “What the…” Ellie held tightly to Tommy’s coat when the bike wobbled from side to side.

“Oh crap, someone’s shooting at us!” Tommy yelled as he eyed the flat tire that probably was a result of a sniper shot “Hold on tight!”

Before the next shot could come, Tommy turned the bike to the side of the road and Ellie didn’t have time to react as they both slid over the grass and onto some bushes a few miles ahead.

“Trespassers!” Ellie heard someone yell from not too far away, but her head was still spinning from the impact.

“Tommy.” She called out for him, loosening up the buckle of her helmet as she tried to pull herself together, hand already on her pistol.

She heard a grunt coming from where the bike had crashed onto a wall, but before she could get to her friend, Ellie was tackled by a tall man wearing a cap.

“Gotcha.” He said when they both hit the ground, making Ellie’s helmet and gun fall to the grass as well.

“Get off me, motherfucker!” Ellie tried to wrestle the guy, who kept pinning her to the ground.

She managed to elbow him a couple of times, but his upper position gave him advantage, so she groaned when he pulled her up by her hair, pressing the cold metal of his pistol on her neck “Shh, quiet now.” The guy said and Ellie scanned the grass in search of her own gun.

“Let her go.” A voice came from behind one of the large bushes and Ellie felt the Wolf press his pistol harder on her.

A few seconds later, Tommy made himself visible as he pointed his hunting rifle right at the guy, who was using Ellie as a shield. Ellie frowned a little when she noticed a limp on one of Tommy’s legs when he took a couple of steps forward; he must have hurt himself during the fall.

“It’s either me or her.” The Wolf holding Ellie laughed sarcastically “Your call.”

Tommy kept his stance, his eyes quickly flickering between Ellie and the Wolf. Knowing him, the girl knew he wasn’t going to risk the shot, not when there was a chance of hitting her instead, but they had to try something, otherwise the other unit in the truck would come back and just take them out.

“Drop the gun and you might get a chance to say goodbye to her.” The guy threatened him and while Tommy mused with his own thoughts, Ellie caught something moving from behind her friend’s shoulder.

“Tommy, behind you!” Ellie shouted and then a series of events took place at the same time.

When Tommy turned around to spot another Wolf approaching him from behind, Ellie used the few seconds of distraction she had caused to elbow the guy that was holding her right in the ribs, making him lose his grip on her. Taking advantage of that, she grabbed the switchblade on her back pocket and flicked it towards the guy’s face, slicing his right cheek in a single motion.

“Fuck!” The guy yelled and stumbled backwards with his hands on his face, which made his cap fall to the ground.

Ellie was about to jump on the guy again and finish him with her blade, but she snapped her head up when she heard faint sounds of an engine approaching the area from the street, which meant they needed to get out of there as soon as possible. She then turned to Tommy, who was currently wrestling with the other Wolf, the guy pinning him against the wall using his rifle as leverage to choke Tommy. Without thinking twice, Ellie ran towards the Wolf and sunk her blade on his neck, making the guy fall to his knees, clutching the wound until his body finally collapsed.

“Fuck, are you okay?” Ellie helped Tommy find his balance again “We have to go, the other unit is coming back already.”

“I think I twisted my ankle. Goddammit!” He groaned when he tried to put pressure on his left foot “You’re gonna have to run, Ellie. Grab your gun.”

“What? No, they’re gonna kill you.” She sounded exasperated, her hair sticking to her forehead when she turned around to see the truck already rounding up the corner of the street while the guy she had sliced was slowly getting up “C’mon, I’m not leaving you behind!”

“No, I’m gonna slow you down, just listen to me.” Tommy grabbed Ellie by her shoulders “I’m gonna find a way to have them take me to Isaac somehow, alright? It’s a bold move, I know, but it’s better than having both of us on their hands.”

“Tommy…” Ellie pushed her brain to come up with a better plan, but with their time running down by each second that went by, she knew there wasn’t any other choice.

“Just go, grab your gun. There must be a way through this building, maybe you can lose them in the suburbs.” Tommy hushed her and the girl took her pistol from the ground, turning one last time to her friend.

“I’ll find you.” She said and watched as Tommy gave her a nod and went to hide behind the thick vegetation nearby.

Before someone could see her, Ellie jumped over a fence that led to the backway of a building and opened the first door she could find, making her way inside silently. It was a small corridor with a few boxes and garbage scattered around, and even though there were two more doors to her left, Ellie decided to go right, where she could see some stairs that probably led to the second floor. Much to her luck, they weren’t blocked and Ellie made her way up carefully checking for any sounds of infected; the last thing she needed was a clicker attacking her from the dark. What she did hear though, was the sound of tires scratching the asphalt coming from outside. _Fuck_ , she thought and ran to the third floor so she could get a better view on what was happening.

She opened a door right beside the stairs, seeing it was some kind of an old classroom, with desks and chairs all over the place. Getting past them without making any noise, Ellie approached one of the windows; part of the glass was broken and it had thin metal bars on the other side, probably to prevent any accidents back in the day, but it was enough for her to check what the Wolves were doing outside. Ellie watched as four of them exited the truck, two going to check the dead body of their fellow mate and the others reaching out to the guy Ellie had hurt. She couldn’t make out exactly what they were saying, but she heard the guy say something angrily as he waved his arms to keep one of the Wolves from touching him, and grabbed his cap that had fallen to the ground, putting it on top of his head again.

Turning her gaze to the others, Ellie’s heart skipped a beat when she saw Tommy being dragged on the grass by two Wolves holding each one of his arms. They stopped in front of Cap guy, who quickly pulled his gun and pointed at Tommy’s head. _Oh no_ , Ellie bit her lip, terrified of what could happen; she couldn’t forgive herself if Tommy died like that. Not him too.

The guy seemed to be asking Tommy a couple of questions and Ellie wondered if it could be about what happened at the hotel or maybe about her own whereabouts. Tommy said something back and judging by the Wolf’s reaction, it wasn’t what he wanted to hear. Cap guy took a step back and raised the back of his hand to his cheek, cleaning a bit of the blood there, only to aim his pistol at Tommy again. _Fuck, please don’t kill him_. Ellie held her breath, preparing for what was coming, but then she let it out when the guy only knocked Tommy out with the back of his gun.

“Now search this whole fucking area!” She heard him shout to the others “That bitch can’t be far.”

With that, Cap guy grabbed Tommy’s backpack and started to rummage through it while another Wolf tied his feet and hands with a rope. The rest of the unit scattered around the street and Ellie moved away from the window, afraid of being spotted.

_Shit! What now?_ Ellie looked around, thinking on a good escape plan, and decided to keep going deeper into the building. She was hoping she could get to the other side first and then lose them on the suburbs, just like Tommy had said. Upon hearing a noise coming from downstairs, Ellie finally got out of the room and started heading down a long hallway filled with lockers on both sides, which confirmed her initial thought that the place was a school. She passed a few more empty classrooms and reached another set of stairs, but the access to the fourth floor was blocked with a bunch of rumble, which meant she could only go down. Not having any other choice, since the windows were too high for her to just jump over them, Ellie climbed down the steps slowly to the second floor.

As she reached yet another hallway, she noticed how it looked somewhat cleaner than the one above her and how there were some wires and cables taped to the floor. _There must be a generator here somewhere. Do they use this place regularly?_ Ellie let her thoughts wander as she walked slowly, afraid someone would hear her footsteps from below. The girl was passing by a room with large windows next to the door when something caught her eye and Ellie decided to stop and check inside. The room was probably a lounge area once, since there were couches, a coffee table and some shelves on the wall, but what really stood out were several sleeping bags on the floor, not to mention some pillows on the couches and a few backpacks next to them. _This is one of their outposts_ , Ellie realized and crouched next to the Wolves’ belongings. She rummaged through some of their stuff, looking for some sort of map or maybe a note that could give her another lead on Abby or one of her friends, but there wasn’t anything other than some scavenged material, supplies and personal items.

Moving on to the next bag, Ellie found a med kit and some ammo, which she quickly stored inside her own backpack. Then, leaning on the couch with its barrel up, was a shotgun already strapped to a holster. _Nice_ , Ellie smiled a little as she grabbed the weapon. _Might as well steal their shit_. Going through the last bag, Ellie found a note folded a couple of times around a polaroid picture, but before she could inspect it, the lights on the corridor suddenly turned on with a buzzing sound.

“Fuck.” Ellie breathed out and, stuffing the paper on her bag, she holster the shotgun on her shoulder and headed to the door. As she got to the end of the hallway, she heard a faint ‘fan out’ coming from downstairs, which meant they were still on the lookout for her. The girl then pushed open a heavy wooden door that hopefully would take her to another exit since she couldn’t get down to the first floor. The next hallway rounded itself on a relatively wide open section, with tall grass covering the ground and a tree taking most of the space in the middle. It was probably the recreation area back in the old days and Ellie wondered if there was any way out that way. As she stepped forward, voices coming from behind the large tree trunk made her quickly get behind a few crates next to the wall, hands tightly holding her pistol. _More of them? Where did these guys come from?_

“Do you think they’re with the Scars?” She heard one of the Wolves ask while he scanned the area with his partner. _What the fuck was a Scar anyway?_

“That dude looked like a fucking Scar to you?” The other guy retorted with an angry spat, probably talking about Tommy “Just keep looking! Another unit is already on its way.”

Ellie sighed, thinking about her next move. From where she was, the girl could see that part of the roof had fallen over some flower beds, creating some sort of a path if she managed to climb on the concrete edge. But Ellie needed to get rid of the two Wolves first, otherwise they would see her move past the tall grass and shoot her, definitely alerting the others. With her mind set, Ellie stayed crouched as she took a few steps forward, using the dense vegetation to her advantage to stay away from the Wolves, who were circling the area with eyes and ears on high alert. In need of some sort of distraction, Ellie grabbed what was left of a brick next to her foot and threw it in the direction of a room to her opposite side.

“The fuck was that?” One of the Wolves said as both turned their heads toward the noise.

“Keep watch, I’m gonna check it out.” The guy further away from Ellie entered the room through its double doors and started to look around; not letting the opportunity go to waste, the girl approached the other Wolf from behind and sliced his throat with her switchblade, carefully covering his mouth so he wouldn’t scream. After he went limb, Ellie made sure to push his body into the tall grass and quickly made her way to the fallen roof, climbing on the edge of the flower bed to reach the tiles.

“Nothing here. You see anything, Connor?” Ellie heard the Wolf say as he probably walked out of the room “Connor?”

Ellie didn’t stick around longer and climbed the rest of the way to the top of the roof, but she didn’t get a chance to breathe though, since more screeching tire sounds coming from the street next to the building caught her attention. Ellie crouched behind some old solar panels and carefully looked down, watching as two trucks parked down in front of the school’s gate and around eight people got down, some of them even holding dogs by their leashes. _What…_ , Ellie frowned as the animals entered the building eagerly. _First we don’t run into a single Wolf and now they’re pretty much sprouting from every fucking direction?_

Knowing she had to get out of there fast, Ellie looked around for a place to go, keeping herself away from the ledge that overviewed the street. She walked over to the other side, seeing that it was too high for her to just jump down, but not very far away was a block of apartment buildings that had their balconies directly in front of the roof the girl was standing on. Ellie was sure she could make the jump to one of them as long as she got a little closer to the edge, so she held down to an old rusty antenna and managed to slide down to small tin roof that seemed fragile to hold a person, but the girl was lucky enough that it supported her weight. Slowly, she got close to a balcony that didn’t have a blocking screen around it and threw her backpack first, watching as it landed safely on the other side. Now lighter, Ellie strapped her rifle and shotgun closely to her chest and, taking a few steps back to build up momentum, launched herself forward to the balcony.

“Done it.” She groaned as she landed right next to her backpack with a soft thud.

Not wasting any time, the girl quickly grabbed her stuff and entered the apartment by the balcony door, closing it behind her when she realized the place was secure. She decided to move forward for a few more minutes, passing through some abandoned rooms until she reached another apartment that faced a completely different street than the one she saw the Wolves come from.

_Alright, I think that’s enough of a distance_. She sighed and slid down to the floor with her back to one of the walls, finally having a chance to catch her breath. She opened her bag and grabbed her water canteen, taking a long gulp; it was time to see if there was any lead on that paper she had taken from one of the Wolves.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts about it so far, so please leave a comment down below if you want to, they mean a lot to me.
> 
> Next week, we're back to Abby again. See you soon.
> 
> Stay safe and take care!
> 
> xx


	13. Change of Plans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, everyone!
> 
> Thanks for all the support on this story so far, I really appreciate it <3
> 
> Sorry in advance for this short chapter, but I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 013 – Change of Plans**

**Abby – Seattle Day 1**

Abby stood still, her eyes glued to the back of Jordan’s truck, staring at the man she never thought she would see again; yet there he was, tied and unconscious, just like she had left him back in Jackson.

“You know this fucker, huh?” Jordan said and Abby glanced over to her friend as he grabbed a backpack from the truck “Cause from what I see here, he knew exactly what he was looking for.”

Retrieving a map from inside the bag, Jordan unfolded it and shoved it on Abby’s face, which caused the blonde to groan in annoyance. But without saying anything, she took the map and looked at whatever Jordan was talking about, quickly noticing a dark drawing line connecting Seattle to Jackson, Wyoming. Then something snapped on Abby’s mind, something that now seemed obvious but that she hasn’t really considered before. _He came after me_.

“He’s Joel’s brother, isn’t he?” Jordan’s voice released Abby from her thoughts and she looked at him again “Tommy. That’s what they called him.”

“They? Are there others?” The thought of a commotion coming after her was the last thing Abby needed at the moment.

“A girl, at least. Bitch got away after slicing me up.” Jordan cleaned the remaining of blood on his cheek with the sleeves of his shirt “But goddammit, Abby! You were supposed to have killed those people!”

“You mean Joel, right?” The blonde retorted “I don’t give a fuck about the rest of his people.”

“Well, you fucking should! What the hell did you think it would happen, huh? That he would just be okay with you killing his brother and move on with his life?” Jordan sounded exasperated.

Abby breathed hard through her nose, her mind racing with thoughts on what she should do next. She knew Jordan wasn’t completely wrong; she should have killed them both at the cabin, leaving no witnesses, which would have made their tracks harder to follow. But after the last hit on Joel’s head, all Abby wanted to do was to get the fuck away from him and that fucking place. She was done with it and nothing else matters.

“If he was with a larger group, we would know by now. He must have tried to sneak in the city.” Abby finally replied.

“I hope so, because the two of them already did some damage.” Jordan explained, crossing his arms over his chest.

Abby frowned, not quite following “What do you mean?”

“Nick’s dead.” Jordan deadpanned “Well, he and his whole unit that was stationed on the Serevena, to be honest. I’m sure it was them.”

Abby took a couple of steps back, letting the information sink in. _Dammit, Nick_. Abby knew the kind of life they were living, how death could come from a Scar arrow hitting one’s head, or from a bite or a scratch of one of the infected… Yet it wasn’t easy to hear that one of your own people had died, especially under the circumstances they were in.

“He was uh, tied to a chair. Seems like they tried to get some info out of him.” Jordan continued after a while “I don’t think he told them anything though.”

“Yeah, I know. He…” Abby licked her lips, thinking about her friend “He wouldn’t do that.” Nick had only been with the Fireflies for a few months when the events in the hospital unfolded, but he always proved himself to be loyal to their cause, so when they disbanded, he decided to stick to Abby’s group and bring justice to the one who screwed them over.

Steps coming not from too far away made Abby and Jordan look back towards the path they came from, only to spot Manny waving at them with open arms.

“Hey, what’s taking you two so long, eh?” He said, approaching the truck “Is this some sort of a private party?” Abby saw the smile on her friend’s face fade slowly when he realized the tension around them “What’s going on?”

Jordan simply stepped away from the back of the truck and Manny’s eyes widened up “Puta madre! Is that…?”

“Yeah, it’s him.” Abby said, already feeling tired and it wasn’t even noon “Apparently he followed us right back to the city.”

“Is he alone?” Manny asked, all traces of humor gone from his voice.

“There’s at least one more, from all I know. I left my unit looking for her near the school.” Jordan replied “Thing is, they’re gonna be back soon and word’s gonna get to Isaac fast. We need to do something about this.”

“Oh man.” Manny looked at Abby with questioning eyes “You think this has anything to do with Owen going AWOL?”

“What’s with Owen?” Now it was Jordan who was confused.

Abby sighed once again “He’s missing. Danny came back from his rotation with a bullet wound, but didn’t make it. And now there’s no unit going back that way.” The blonde continued “I don’t think it’s connected, though. You said you found Tommy near the school, right?”

“Yeah, but… He might have gotten to Owen first and then killed Nick.” Jordan tried to speculate.

“Nick is dead? What?” Manny breathed out, but Jordan only gave him a short nod “Fuck.”

“Listen.” Abby got closer to her friends “This can’t get to Isaac, not right now. The attack is three days away and he’s gonna freak out if something gets in the way now.” She then turned to Jordan “Manny and I are going to talk to him right now, see what’s up, and then I’m gonna go after Owen.”

“What? Abby, no. What the hell am I supposed to do with this fucker here?” Jordan got agitated again.

“I don’t know, Jordan. Lock him up, find out what he knows, whatever you want.” Abby tried not to lose her cool “Just keep this quiet for now, I should be back here tomorrow morning at the most. Nick might be dead, but maybe we can still help Owen if he’s out there.”

Jordan stayed silent for a few moments, but then agreed, even if a bit reluctantly “Alright. Maybe… Maybe I can keep him in one of the warehouses here in the back. No one’s coming this way anyway.”

“I’ll help you, I can keep Isaac busy until Abby gets back and then we can figure out what to do with him.” Manny pointed with his chin towards Tommy, still unconscious in the back of the truck “We good with this?”

They all nodded and then parted ways, with Manny and Abby heading towards the apartments to find Isaac while Jordan dealt with Tommy.

“This is crazy. I can’t believe we lost Nick.” Manny said as they climbed the stairs to the floor Isaac should be.

“Tell me about it.” Abby ran a hand through her face “By the way, let’s keep the others out of this for now, okay? Lemme find Owen first.”

“Yeah, sure.” Manny nodded and then opened the door that led to a long corridor where they both walked into.

The smell of iron mixed with bleach filled Abby’s nostrils, making her wrinkle her nose. That specific wing of the building was designated to hold the prisoners captured by the WLF, the majority of them being Scars. Some of the doors had been replaced by metal bars and as they passed by them, Manny and Abby could see a couple of Scars being held inside the rooms, hands tied in chains, heads completely shaved and some even looking malnourished. On another room, a Wolf was mopping up the floor, probably removing the blood left from one of Isaac’s torture sessions to get information about the Seraphite Island. Abby simply looked away, not really caring about it since there were many other things to worry at the moment.

Upon seeing them, the guard in the end of the corridor greeted them and got up from his chair “Hello, you two.”

“Hey, man. We’re here to see Isaac.” Manny said and then watched as the guy knocked on one of the doors and peeked inside “Sir, they’re here.”

A few minutes later, Isaac exited the room with a knife on his hands, carefully cleaning the blade with a piece of rag “You’re finally here. Let’s go up to my office.” The WLF boss tossed the knife and the rag to the guard “Keep him talking.” And then turned to Abby and Manny “C’mon.”

The three of them entered the elevator and Isaac pushed the button to make it go up. An awkward silence filled the small box and Manny threw Abby a tight smile while they waited for the right floor. After a few more seconds, it came to a halt and they all got out, heading to Isaac’s office; it was a big room with large windows on the walls opposite to the door, some bookcases and other furniture set around, not to mention Isaac’s white board filled with info, plans and maps of the area.

“Heard you guys got ambushed on your way here.” Isaac mentioned casually, walking towards a sink in the far left of the room to wash his hands while Manny closed the door behind them.

“Yeah, they must have been lurking around waiting for a small unit to pass by. Those fuckers are getting bolder, I’ll tell you that.” Manny explained and leaned his shoulder on one of the walls.

“We got it under control, though.” Abby continued “Two units with a few rookies showed up and helped us finish them off.”

“That’s good.” Isaac turned around after drying his hands and grabbed an apple from a basket on top of the center table “It’ll serve them as training for later this week.” The older guy took a bite off the fruit and chewed a couple of times before asking “Anything else?”

“No, sir.” Abby heard Manny say and she didn’t dare looking at him, afraid of ruining his lie.

“Well, then.” Isaac moved to the white board and took another bite off the apple “Our scouts should be back here tonight. With whatever information they bring in, we’ll be one step closer to finally putting an end to this.”

“Are you sure this is gonna work, boss? That island is a treacherous place.” Manny pointed out.

“It might be, but we’re gonna hit them with full force this time. It’ll be different.” He looked at both of them “Besides, the storm will mask our approach, we will be taking them by surprise.”

“Right.” Manny glanced over at Abby, who was standing next to one of the windows.

“I believe you’ve picked your squads already, huh? Use these last few days to prep whatever you need.” Isaac said after throwing the remainings of his apple in the trash can.

“Yeah, it’s all set. I’m just waiting for Owen to get back from his rotation with Danny. I want him on my team.” Abby stated, not as smoothly as she would like to, but it was the best she could pull off.

Isaac stared at her for a few moments, his eyes squinting a little as they moved between the blonde and Manny, until a tiny smile creeped out in the corner of his lips “Who talked? Nora?” Abby cursed herself mentally for not handling the subject better “No secrets between the Salt Lake crew, right?”

Abby and Manny exchanged another look before the blonde could continue “I just wanna know if Owen’s okay. I’m sorry, sir, but I can’t believe you’re not sending a search party for him.”

Casually leaning on his desk, Isaac crossed his arms and kept staring at the woman “Well, I’m sure he’s fine since he shot Danny.”

Abby frowned in confusion and shook her head “What? No…” Danny was a piece of shit, but Abby was sure Owen would never kill him like that.

“Apparently to protect some Scar.” Isaac completed, which sounded even more absurd to Abby.

“Bullshit.” She blurted it out, definitely not buying it.

“Excuse me?” Isaac stood up, his tone getting deeper probably as a sign of annoyance.

Abby bit her cheeks on the inside of her mouth, carefully thinking about her next words; the last thing she needed was to get on Isaac’s bad side “I’m just saying that’s not Owen. He wouldn’t do that.”

“You saying Danny used his last breath to lie to me?” Isaac replied firmly and she knew he wasn’t looking for an answer for that question “See, Abby, I work with evidence.” Isaac took one, two steps forward until he was standing in front of the blonde woman “And right now I have Danny’s body in a bag downstairs and his final words clear in my head.”

“So let me go after him.” She insisted “I’ll walk him back in and we’ll get to the bottom of this-”

“Abigail.” Isaac didn’t let her continue and, instead, grabbed her by the elbow so they could talk in private, away from Manny’s earshot “Remember what we talked about four months ago? Hm?” He asked and the blonde could feel the pressure build up on her bare skin as he squeezed it ever so slightly “You got what you wanted, and now you’re going to help _me_ get what I want. We only got one shot at this and I’m not gonna let it go to waste because my best soldier is worried about a fucking deserter.” Isaac whispered that last part angrily as Abby released her arm from his grasp.

_He’s not a fucking deserter_ , she wanted to scream at his face. And it seemed like Isaac was waiting for some sort of reaction from her part, because he kept staring at her for long minutes, but the blonde decided to just keep her mouth shut before she could lose the single opportunity she would have to go after Owen in the afternoon.

“This is bigger than any of us.” Isaac regained his composure and spoke in a normal tone once he realized the woman wasn’t going to say anything else “Definitely bigger than Owen. And I need you both focused, do you hear me?”

“Yes, sir.” Manny cleared his throat and moved to stand next to Abby, who was still fuming inside.

“Good. Now go get something to eat, maybe get some rest. We can go over the plan in the evening once the scouts are here.” Isaac went back to his desk “Close the door on your way out.”

Seeing that Isaac was done with them, Manny and Abby left the room and got back to the elevator, both lost in their own thoughts.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, I would love to read your thoughts about it, so please consider leaving a comment below.
> 
> See you next week, take care & stay safe!
> 
> xx


	14. Setbacks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> Thanks again for all the support on this story, it means a lot to me <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter. It's unbeta'd, but I'll come back later for any typos or mistakes.
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 014 – Setbacks**

**Abby – Seattle Day 1**

It was past lunch time when Abby and Manny found themselves on the roof of one of the buildings near the FOB; they had left the crowded area of the main area behind and slipped away towards the back without raising any suspicious, since everyone had their heads focused on the attack. Abby was glad Nora had already left for the hospital, otherwise she would be the one handling Nick’s body when they finally manage to bring him in. She only hoped Mel wouldn’t see it too and that Jordan wouldn’t do anything stupid to alarm everyone in the meantime.

“The roads are going to be heavily patrolled. You sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Manny said as he looked at one more truck leaving the FOB, probably to have another sweep at the perimeter.

Abby followed his gaze, but soon turned her head back to the horizon where the Ferris Wheel near the Aquarium could be seen in the distance, glowing brightly as the sunlight hit its rim “No, it’s better if you stay here. I’ll just avoid the roads, cut through the buildings… I can make it there before the sun sets.”

“Alright.” Manny nodded a bit reluctantly “Let’s get you to the other side then.”

They both headed to the stairs, going through some of the wrecked rooms and floors so they could get to the other end of the block.

“Thanks for doing this, by the way.” Abby commented as she followed her friend. She had definitely lost count of how many times he had helped her, in one way or the other.

“Hey, don’t mention it.” Manny looked at her for a second and smiled “We’re in this together. I’d do the same if I were you.”

“I just hope he’s there.” The blonde was worried about Owen, thinking that maybe he got hurt just as badly as Danny and didn’t make it back that far.

“He is, you’ll see.” Manny reassured her “And I’m sure Isaac’s wrong too. You know he will jump into any conclusion that makes it seem like people are plotting against him.”

“Yeah. I’m gonna find out what happened.” She said, following Manny out of a window so they could reach another flight of stairs, this time outside of the building.

Once they made it to the bottom, Manny walked to the fence that marked the end of the perimeter wall around the FOB “Okay, this Chinese neighborhood follows the main road up until Martyr’s Gate, so I’m sure you’ll be fine if you keep to it.”

“Right.” Abby leaned onto her friend as he helped her get to the other side “I should be back by tomorrow morning at the most.”

“Just be careful out there. Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” Manny joked and put his right arm through the other side of the fence so they could bump fists.

“Is there such thing?” Abby smiled too and said goodbye to his friend “Take care.”

Manny nodded once and headed back to the building, disappearing into one of the rooms. Now by herself, Abby looked at the path ahead of her and started what she hoped it would be a not so very troubled journey. The area was an old Chinese community full of stores and establishments now completely lost to time and the war between the WLF and the Scars. Bullets holes could be seen on the walls and even on some old traffic signs, and the only things that resembled the peaceful and colorful place it once was were the paintings and drawings on the walls, that had slowly faded over time too.

Abby followed through the streets, seeing that most of the entrances and windows to the stores were blocked, but she made sure to check the ones that were still accessible. _Might as well scavenge for something useful while I’m at it_ , she thought, going through the drawers of an old diner to find a couple of metal pieces, which she shoved into her bag before continuing on. Jumping over a concrete blockade that FEDRA used to place on the streets and alleys to avoid vehicles, Abby found a way to the other side of the street through a fabric shop, where the mold had taken over the pieces of cloth and the sewing machines lay around all rusty and useless. The exit door was blocked, but the blonde managed to climb on top of a table to reach the window and get out on the other side.

As soon as she landed on the asphalt, Abby heard a few gunshots echoing in the background not too far away from where she was, and she wondered who those might be; at the moment, she wasn’t sure if it was better to run into Scars or a WLF patrol. _At least I can kill the Scars and be done with it_ , she mused as she walked over to an old gate, another remnant from the quarantine days, but it wouldn’t budge, being completely blocked by the vegetation that grew around it. Looking around, Abby spotted an open window on the second floor of what it seemed like an apartment building and, using a trailer that had crashed next to it, she reached it with no effort and entered the place. The rooms was pretty much falling apart, having a big hole on the ceiling where the third floor should be, so the blonde made sure not to stay there for long. Finding a gap on one of the walls that had fallen over, Abby squeezed through and got to the other room, finally seeing the real damage of the place. There were no walls on that side of the building, probably as the result of the bombings, and Abby could see the rest of the neighborhood over the gate, exactly where she needed to go to get to Martyr’s Gate.

After taking a deep breath, Abby jumped over to the metal catwalk on top of the gate, glad it wasn’t too high, but she couldn’t jump down to the street due to the barbed wire, so she crouched under a gap to the side and finally reached the ground. As soon as she looked up, though, something caught her attention; on the far wall of the alley, engraved carefully on the bricks, was the face of the prophet the Scars prayed for, along with the words “May she guide you”.

“What the hell…” Abby mumbled, eyeing the piece of work “I can’t believe these freaks are in our backyard.” She shook her head, realizing how much of sneaky little shits they were and how they shouldn’t be taken for granted.

Focusing back on her mission, Abby entered the building right ahead of her, hoping it would lead to the street since every other path was blocked. There were a couple of runners inside, but the blonde finished them off without breaking a sweat since she was used to doing that kind of sweep. Getting out through the front door, Abby finally reached the street that led to Martyr’s Gate and was once again making progress. She could still hear the faint noise of shooting on the background, but before she could pick up the pace, Abby noticed a relic and antiques store with its front door completely locked with a metal fence, the glass on the inside without a single crack, and from what she could see peeking inside, the place seemed untouched. _There might be something worth taking_ , she thought, looking around for a way in.

The second floor of the store seemed accessible though, and since the street she was in wasn’t that wide, Abby was sure she could make the jump if she reached the second floor of the other store. With that plan in mind, she entered what seemed to be a bakery, with cake models and trays scattered around, but everything was pretty much picked clean. There was a single door on the back and much to Abby’s luck, it was unlocked. Entering the small dark hallway, Abby saw a flight of stairs leading to the upper floor and started to climb the steps slowly, keeping her ears out for any noise. As she made it to the top, the blonde could hear some grunts and clicks coming from the room on her left, so she approached the passageway carefully. It was blocked from the inside with some tables and chairs, but there was a gap beneath big enough for her to squeeze through, and if she wanted to get to the other store, she would have to get pass the two clickers roaming inside. Abby sighed and checked her bag, seeing that she still had a shiv she could use to take one of them quietly. _Okay, this will do_.

With her pistol ready and the shiv on her hand, Abby went prone and crawled under the gap, waiting until the clicker that was closest to the door had his back to her, and then the blonde got up and stabbed it in the neck. It made a screeching sound as it died, alerting the other one, which stood still for a few seconds before letting out a scream and going towards Abby’s direction. Throwing the body of the dead clicker away from her, the blonde aimed her pistol at the wild infected and shot it twice in the chest, making it stumble back a couple of steps. Seeing that it wasn’t enough, Abby grabbed the nearest metal chair that she could find and slammed it onto its head, giving it a few more hits when it fell to the ground until it stopped moving.

_Shit_ , Abby groaned as she cleaned a few blood droplets that had splattered on her face. At least the infected were dead and she could look around without too much trouble. Going to the balcony, Abby eyed the gap and being confident that she could make the jump, she launched herself forward and made it across just fine. Hopefully there wasn’t anything blocking the stairs, so she made her way to the first floor of the relic shop in less than a minute. Everything was still in place, the shelves on the walls full of old stuff and probably valuable items that now didn’t have much worth anymore. There were tons of vases of several sizes too, made of what Abby gathered to be that famous Chinese porcelain she had read once in a book; who would’ve thought knew she would be able to see it in person one day. Abby huffed and continued looking around, heading to the door behind the counter; it was a small office with a desk, a computer and a few boxes. Going through the drawers, Abby found half-empty ammo box of shotgun shells and that perked her attention. _There must be a gun in here somewhere_ , she mused after putting the ammo inside her bag. She searched the whole office, even under the desk, without any luck though, but when the blonde was about to give up, she stood at the doorway and checked the counter. _Of course_ , she laughed dryly as she reached for the weapon hanging below the cash register in a fake cabinet. Abby inspected the double barrel shotgun in her hands, checking to see if there was any malfunction, but everything seemed fine despite the amount of time it spent there unused.

_It’s not as sharp as the one you used to smash Joel’s brains, but it’ll do._

Startled by her own thoughts, the blonde felt the weapon slip from her hands and fall on the floor. She swallowed hard and locked her jaw, suddenly angry at whatever part of her mind that decided to think about that right now. _What the fuck is wrong with you, Abby?_

Having enough of that place, she took the shotgun and holstered it on her left shoulder next to her rifle, heading to the door with loud footsteps. She opened the metal fence just enough for her to fir through and then she was back to the street; not stopping anymore, the blonde continued walking until she finally reached Martyr’s Gate.

It was right at the entrance of the Chinese community, its architecture resembling the stereotypical rooftops in China, and people started calling it that way about a couple of years ago when the WLF and the Scars established a truce. The gate worked as a landmark, separating their territories, but it didn’t last for long. Now it was just an empty place the Scars still visited sometimes to leave offerings to their prophet. One of the abandoned trucks near the gate was surrounded by flowers and decorated with paintings and drawings of their prophet, which caused Abby to roll her eyes and just keep moving.

She climbed the stairs that led to the metal catwalk on top of the gate and made her way to the other side; now she just needed to follow the sunset towards the coast, keeping an eye on the Ferris Wheels so she wouldn’t lose her surroundings. Before she could continue though, Abby heard another gunshot, this one much close, and she crouched down, taking her pistol out of its holster. Suddenly a loud whistle echoed through the area, followed by an infected’s screech and another gunshot.

“Heads up! Clear a path to Martyr’s Gate.” Someone said not too far away from where Abby was and she knew she needed to move quickly.

_So it was Scars after all_ , she thought as she squeezed through a gap on the gate, already spotting two of them on her right. Using the tall grass to her advantage, Abby moved into the first building on her left, since the walls had fallen apart and she could use the debris as a hiding spot. From her position, she could see three more Scars scanning the back of the large open area, not to mention a sniper on one of the windows of the building opposite to where she was. Grabbing a brick from the ground, Abby was already thinking of a strategy to get past them, one that hopefully didn’t resolved around shooting, because she needed to save her bullets for any other infected she might still encounter on the way to the Aquarium.

Looking around, Abby decided to climb the stairs the led to the second floor of the building, which used to be a library or something, from all the shelves, books and magazines scattered around. The windows on the second floor were wide and big, so Abby remained crouched, using the counters and wooden pillars as covers. She couldn’t exactly see a way out through the streets, so her best bet would be the building where the sniper was; which meant she would have to get past the Scars scanning the area below. _Alright, let’s do this._ Abby crafted a silencer using an empty bottle she had on her bag just in case and attached it to her pistol before going to the far back of the building, where she could get down and hide on the tall grass again. There was a Scar directly in front of her, maybe just 7 meters away, so she approached him quietly and grabbed him from behind, lowering his body onto the grass as she suffocated him with all of her strength. When his body went limp, she quickly moved to hide behind a truck to avoid being seen by the sniper. If she could get closer, she would have the right angle to headshot him and then make a run for the building.

With that in mind, Abby grabbed the brick she had found earlier and threw it on one of the windows of the library, making the glass shatter with a loud noise. She watched as the sniper quickly turned his gun toward the sound and a few hushed whistles were exchanged between the Scars on the ground as they walked towards the noise. Taking that as her cue, Abby moved quickly through the grass and when the sniper was in range, she aimed carefully at his head and pulled the trigger once. With her usual precision, the blonde didn’t miss the shot and the bullet went right through the guy’s skull; what Abby wasn’t expecting though, was that his body fell forward instead of backwards, landing with a thud on top of a truck and then slipping to the ground.

_Fuck_ , she cursed mentally when one of the other Scars heard the noise and started to make her way towards it. Since it was just a matter of time for the body to be discovered, Abby decided to try her luck and just go to the building without caring about the others. The structure was also partially destroyed, so she used the rumble to climb over the second floor, hoping she wasn’t going to run into any other Scar. Still crouched, she got past a couple of offices and finally found the flight of stairs; she could go down, so her only option was to keep going up and hope for a way out.

As Abby started to climb the steps, she heard a loud whistle coming from down below, meaning they had definitely found the body and were now looking for someone. She picked up her pace, the stealth approach long forgotten, but came to a halt when the access to the next floor was blocked by a pile of debris and rumble. Looking around frenetically, Abby saw a hole on one of the walls to her right, a faint light coming from inside. _Screw it_ , she thought and crouched again so she could squeeze through it. The light was coming from an old lantern, marking the entrance of a tunnel that probably led to the other side, and Abby crawled for a few meters until she reached a relatively small clearing, but big enough for her to stand again. _So this is how they navigate around us without being seen. Unf._ Not really having much time to think about that, the blonde continued moving forward, having to go prone again to crawl under a tight space where the ceiling had fallen over.

The next area opened up to the opposite side of the building, much likely the main hall of the offices given the big counter with the logo of the company it once belonged to. But what caught Abby’s attention was the familiar symbol painted in one of the walls, the same symbol the Scars used to mark their territory. _Great_ , Abby sighed as she walked to the next room and confirmed her suspicious. There were a few makeshift beds on one corner, some tables and shelves with materials and tools, and a lot of firewood and logs stacked on the other end. _Of course I had to walk right into a Scar camp_ , Abby mused and then grabbed some supplies from one of the tables since no one would notice anyway. The she looked around, searching for a way out before the rest of the Scars showed up again; she needed to get out of that building and reach the streets again. Sliding through a muddy end where another part of the roof had fallen over, the blonde continued following the rough path of rumble, rocks and dirt until the only way forward was jumping down to the next floor. Not having much of a choice, Abby got down but upon hearing voices not too far from her, she quickly hid behind one of the large pillars that were still standing. _Damn it_.

“The Elders will be pleased to have a camp so close to Martyr’s Gate.” One of the Seraphite women commented casually, and Abby perked her ears, trying to gather how many they were.

“Definitely. But should we keep searching for the runaways?” Another one asked, making Abby wonder about who they were talking about. Perhaps some Wolves that had been captured, but managed to run away before they got gutted? It didn’t matter; she was the one in danger now and she needed to keep heading down and away from these people.

“Emily is taking a group into the woods at sundown. She’ll find them.” The Seraphites kept talking, so Abby waited until they parted ways and one of them started to come towards her hiding place.

Holding her breath, Abby stood still until the woman got close enough and then grabbed her from behind, pushing her hard against the pillar with her forearm on her neck. The Seraphite woman fought to get out of Abby’s grip, but the Wolf was like a solid rock against her, not moving an inch. A few seconds later, Abby let the woman go when she stopped breathing for good, and reached out for a hatchet that was attached to the woman’s bag. Already focusing on the other Seraphite scanning the far end of the room, Abby peeked from her cover and moved slowly towards her, not without noticing more steps coming from the floor below her; the building was packed and would have to be extra careful not to alert everybody.

To her advantage though, the whole place was falling apart, which meant there were a lot of debris and corners to hide, making difficult for the Scars to spot her. After waiting for the right moment, Abby got rid of the other Seraphite woman silently and then moved to a ramp that led downwards. She could hear footsteps coming from at least three different directions and things were turning to be way more difficult than what she had imagined; she was losing sunlight by the hour, but at the same time she couldn’t rush things and risk getting caught. With that in mind, Abby waited patiently for the right moment to take down each of the Scars from that floor, quietly choking them from behind, using the pillars and some concrete blocks as cover. Thing is, there wasn’t any exit on that side, which meant she needed to get down yet another floor.

Following her plan, Abby went over to the middle of the building, where a huge crack kind of split it into two halves, making one side to be higher than the other. She could see a few Scars scanning the area below, some with bows and others with hunting rifles, so the blonde reached the corner on her right side and jumped to the other side, landing with a low thud that hopefully didn’t alert anyone around. There was a Seraphite woman just a few feet ahead of her, and before she could go back to where the other were, Abby approached her quickly from behind, wrapping her arm around her neck and causing the woman to drop her weapon on the ground. Much to Abby dismay though, there was a Seraphite standing behind one of the pillars that turned around just in time to see his partner being choked to death.

“Rebecca?” He muttered as Abby stood still with eyes wide open after letting go of the dead woman.

The guy then let out a loud whistle that echoed through the building and aimed his gun at the blonde woman, but before he could pull the trigger, Abby threw a piece of rock at him and sunk her hatchet at his chest in one swift move. The guy fell to his knees and then to the floor when Abby pulled her melee weapon back and started to run as more Scars rushed towards her direction.

“Wolf!” One of them shouted, the sound being followed by a gunshot that almost hit Abby but ended up on the wall right next to her.

“To hell with this.” She spat out and grabbed her shotgun, ready to face them head on.

Moving to another concrete block so she wouldn’t get cornered, Abby waited until one of the Scars advanced towards her to shoot him in the chest, making him fall backwards with blood splatted all over the place.

“No!” Another Scar shouted just as two more got down from the crack on the ceiling and took cover behind some pillars.

Trying to distract them, Abby grabbed a rock from a pile of debris near her and threw it to her right side, hoping the sound would enough to confuse them. She heard a couple of hushed whistles and quick footsteps moving towards that direction, so she used that opportunity to move to the room on the left, which had a huge hole on the floor that definitely led down below. Still crouched, Abby made her way through it slowly, searching for a way out, but everything was either blocked or completely in ruins. As she was about to turn around and head the other way, a huge shadow hovered over her, causing her to look up.

“Found you.” A tall Seraphite man grimaced and raised his machete, ready to strike the Wolf.

Abby managed to be faster though, and moved out of the way as the blade hit the wooden barrels she was using as cover. Still on the floor, she pumped her shotgun once and shot the guy in the face.

“She’s down below!” Someone shouted from the distance, probably hearing the gunshot and Abby got to her feet immediately.

“I need to get the fuck outta here.” She ran to the other room, her eyes scanning the place frenetically in search of a way out, until she spotted two huge holes to the side of the building, where some walls used to be before falling apart. Abby could see the faint light of the sun on the horizon and just a tiny bit of the Ferris Wheel in the distance, so that’s where she needed to go.

Without stopping, she quickly slipped over another muddy path and continued moving forward trying to reach the street once again. _Finally_ , she sighed in relief as he left the building and a bunch of Scars behind. However, that feeling didn’t last long, and Abby was taken by surprise when a tall and strong Seraphite woman came out of heavens know where and tackled her to the ground.

The blonde groaned as the woman on top of her tried to use her huge hammer to pin her down, but Abby held the weapon with everything that she had, pushing it up just enough to give her some space; she knew the Seraphite woman had the upper hand though, so she needed to act fast. In a quick move, the Wolf let one of her hand go from the hammer’s grip and grabbed the side of the Scar’s head, biting off a piece of her ear. The woman let out a yelp and let go of Abby for a moment, leaving enough room for the Wolf to punch her in the face and try to get on her feet. But Abby didn’t get the chance to get away as two other Scars showed up and pushed her down again.

“Grab her!” One of them yelled, pinning her down to the ground as the other did the same, keeping Abby’s arms locked in place so she wouldn’t escape.

“Get the fuck off me!” The Wolf groaned, trying to get rid of them, but there was nothing she could do in that position.

Then, another Seraphite woman showed up from behind the guys, slowly walking towards her with a hammer on one of her hands and a hood on top of her head, making it hard to see her features. Fighting until the last second, Abby watched as the woman raised her arm and swung the hammer in one swift move, hitting the side of her head and making everything turn to black.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> I would love to hear your thoughts on this, so please consider leaving a comment down below, they are much appreaciated.
> 
> There's a bit of a surprise coming in two chapters, can't wait to share it with you.
> 
> Take care!
> 
> xx


	15. TV Station

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> Thanks again for all the support on this story, I really appreciate it <3
> 
> Here's another chapter, a bit shorter than I would like to tbh, but I hope you guys enjoy it.
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 015 – TV Station**

**Ellie – Seattle Day 1**

Still resting her back against the wall of one of the rooms of the apartment building she found herself in, Ellie grabbed her backpack and opened its front pocket, reaching for the note and the polaroid picture she had found in one of the Wolves’ bags. Unfolding the note, she flipped the picture and stared at it with a frown; there was a woman in it, probably in her 20’s, posing from the waist up with only a bra on. Rolling her eyes at the woman’s attempt at giving the camera a sexy look, Ellie put the photo aside and focused on the note, carefully reading it.

_“I know you wanted me to wait till you got back from your morning patrol, but Isaac wants me at the TV station asap. Don’t worry, I should be back a day before the attack so we can figure out what we’re really gonna do. Meanwhile, here’s something to hold you over._

_Love you,_

_L.”_

_TV station_ , Ellie mused, quickly grabbing her map so she could get its location. _It must be another one of their outposts_. Running her fingers over a section of the map with a couple of skyscrapers, Ellie focused on one with an antenna on top. _KMAB 13 News Station. This is it_. It didn’t go unnoticed how the woman also mentioned Isaac, their leader, and how they were planning some sort of attack; judging by what she had heard about him so far, Ellie knew the Wolves followed his orders blindly, which led her to believe that maybe he was the one who sent Abby after Joel. But why? She needed to find that connection and, right now, going to the TV station was her only option; maybe that Leah chick could tell her where to find Abby or, to put in another words, Ellie would get that information out of her at all cost.

With that in mind, Ellie took one last look at her map, seeing that she needed to get past a section of the city called Capitol Hill in order to reach the TV station, and then got up from the floor, sliding her backpack on her shoulders. Now that the adrenaline had died down, Ellie felt a sting of pain coming from the left side of her body caused by the impact of the bike crash; it wasn’t anything she couldn’t handle, but it made her think of Tommy and where he could be. Even if he had managed to get away from the Wolves, he probably wouldn’t have gotten far due to his twisted ankle. She only hoped he knew what he was doing.

Ellie managed to go down another floor of the apartment building and, not finding another way out, she walked over to a window that led to an alleyway and managed to jump on top of a dumpster before finally reaching the ground outside. The Capitol Hill neighborhood seemed even larger than the downtown area and it was probably a nice place to live back in the old days. There were some two story houses along a whole block and while it looked like there could be some stuff left to scavenge, Ellie decided not to linger around too much, afraid that she would run into another WLF patrol or even some infected.

And, much to her dismay, it was exactly what happened when she went around the block and reached the main street. Next to what seemed like a convenience store, Ellie could see a few Wolves walking around, checking the perimeter; she spotted four of them, but with an area that big, she knew there would be more. Quickly hiding behind a car, the girl weighed her options; she could get past them stealthy, trying not to draw attention to herself, or kill them quietly in case she needed to back track later. That was when she saw another Wolf scanning the area from the top of the store, holding a sniper rifle, and then she knew she couldn’t risk engaging in combat. So, using the cars and the tall grass growing on the parkways as cover, Ellie made her way quietly to the street opposite to the convenience store, climbing down a few steps until she reached a square on a lower level, enough to get her out of the sniper’s sight and range.

Ellie hoped she was going the right way, because the last thing she needed was to reach a dead end, but it was hard to know since there were many streets and it was hard to tell which ones would be blocked or not further down. Deciding to just keep going down the street she was in, Ellie got past the square and a couple of stores before reaching another corner. Turning left again, the girl could see behind the trees in the distance some of the skyscrapers where the TV station should be; it seemed so close but so far at the same time, and she knew it wouldn’t be an easy path.

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And it definitely wasn’t. Ellie ran into another WLF patrol, this one larger and with a couple of snipers scanning the area from the windows of a second floor of a store; luckily, and the girl never thought she would say that, there were also a few infected locked inside a bookstore, and Ellie used them to her advantage. Throwing a couple of bricks on the window glass of the bookstore, she cleared a path so the infected could escape and reach the street. Upon seeing the commotion heading their way, the Wolves opened fire and then hell broke loose. Keeping herself hidden inside a building next to the gate she needed to cross, Ellie waited until all the Wolves were distracted by the runners and clickers chasing them around so she could move and finally get out of that neighborhood.

The next part of the city was heavily affected by the bombings and there were tons of rumble and structures fallen apart, slowly being taken over by the vegetation growing over it. The river she and Tommy had seen earlier was now just a calm stream passing by, and Ellie followed it until she couldn’t see the top of the buildings she was heading to anymore. The girl then ventured into the woods in the direction of the building, getting past a couple of abandoned stores completely taken over by the trees and a destroyed gym. Ellie was glad she was paying attention to her surroundings though, because right in front of the only path leading forward was a thin wire going from side to side, disappearing behind a car. _Explosive traps_ , she quickly recognized them, thinking back to the beginning of her trip with Joel all those years ago, when she met Bill and all his ingenious creations. _Guess he wasn’t the only one to think about that_.

The memory of Bill in her head reminded her of Joel, and Ellie felt her resolve grow inside of her once again. Picking up her pace, but still aware of the traps around the area, the girl kept walking until she reached a fenced wall with a set of stairs behind it, probably leading to the upper street where the building should be. Ellie checked the gate, but it was locked from the inside, so she would have to find a way around it. There was a concrete wall partially destroyed next to the fence and, carefully holding to the rocks and bricks that were still standing, Ellie managed to climb and sit on top of it, her legs dangling on the other side. Now from a higher position, she could see that someone had placed more explosive traps on the stairs, definitely to catch the first unsuspecting person that got through the gate. Knowing she couldn’t get past them without setting them off, Ellie grabbed a brick from the wall she was sitting on and threw it on one of the traps. The first one exploded with a loud bang, which also set off the second and the third trap. _Well, I hope the Wolves think this was a runner_ , the girl thought as she jumped down on the stairs, watching as a bunch of birds flew away from a tree nearby, scared by the sound.

Climbing the rest of the steps, Ellie got through a gap on the fence and finally reached the street where the TV station building was. The vicinity was a pretty dense wooded area and Ellie moved quietly between tree trunks and bushes as she approached the place; the building itself was half-covered in moss and the “13 Channel” sign at its forefront had faded almost entirely. Much like the downtown area, everything seemed to be abandoned and Ellie wondered if it was possible not to have heard the explosive traps going off. _Well, I’m not complaining_ , the girl thought as she reached out for the front door, giving it a hard thug in an attempt to open it, but it was completely blocked from the inside.

“Of course.” She muttered and took a couple of steps back, looking for another way in. Fortunately, the left side of the building was like large pieces of domino placed one on top of the other, and Ellie could easily climb the four inches concrete walls of each one of them until she reached the terrace on the fourth floor. And there, between some vases and a couple of benches, was a dead body of man, leaning awkwardly on the wall. Ellie crouched next to the guy, noticing a broken bow and a few arrows next to him, but the fatal wound was probably the three bullet holes he had on his chest. _Weird_ , Ellie thought as she inspected the guy; instead of military-like clothing similar to the ones the WLF wore, he had a dark brown coat over his torso, together with brown pants and shoes, not to mention some strange marks on his face. Seeing that the guy hadn’t been dead for long, Ellie grabbed the arrows from the ground and stored them on her bag, thinking she could find a bow around there somewhere, and kept going up the terrace.

The only door on that side was locked though, so the girl looked around, quickly seeing a rope tied to one of the windows maybe 10 feet up that definitely led inside. She checked it to see if it was safe and then climbed up, going over the window and finally entering the building. With her pistol ready, Ellie walked down a hallway and it wasn’t long before she stumbled upon another body, this one of a Wolf, given the WLF badge on the right sleeve of his jacket. He had been killed by a single hatchet hit on his back, the melee weapon still attached to the body as blood pooled around the wound. _Something happened here_ , Ellie continued onwards, checking all the doors, but finding them all locked, except for the one in the end of the hallway that led to the stairs. With no other option, the girl went down the spiral flight of stairs until she reached the bottom and opened the doubled door in front of her.

Taking a step into the room, Ellie was hit by a strong, wet smell of iron, which caused her to falter for a couple of seconds before gathering her surroundings again. The main lobby, a large rounded room with desks, chairs and a few cameras hooked to some tripods, was covered in blood, some of it still dripping on the floor from above; looking up, Ellie finally saw where it was coming from. _Holy fucking shit…_

Hanging from the metal bars on the ceiling were maybe half a dozen Wolves’ bodies, all of them with a rope tied around their necks and a huge gash on their stomachs, which caused their guts to spill all over the place. _What the fuck happened here_ , Ellie wondered as she walked around, seeing more dead bodies on the floor, this time not only Wolves, but also some folks with similar attire from the guy she found on the terrace. _No wonder no one heard me coming, they were all dead_. Still looking around, Ellie noticed a weird symbol on one of the walls and got closer so she could examined it; apparently drawn in blood, the symbol had an oval shape with a line crossing it horizontally. Grabbing her journal so she could make a quick sketch of it, Ellie realized the Wolves weren’t the only threat she would have to worry about in Seattle.

Not wanting to meet those people in case they were still around, Ellie knew she couldn’t stay there for long, but now with all the WLF patrol dead, it would be harder to find any useful information. _Maybe I can still find that chick from the picture_ , she thought and scanned the bodies for the woman’s familiar face. Not really recognizing her among the ones in the lobby, Ellie made her way up to the next floor, following the body trail. Upon reaching the offices, Ellie started to hear a faint noise coming from one of the rooms in the back, something similar to radio static. Carefully, she walked towards the room, noticing a dark figure on the floor through the frosted glass and a big radio on top of a table as she peeked through the door, which was slightly ajar. Tightening her grip on her pistol, Ellie pushed the door open the rest of the way with her foot and stood still at the entrance of the small office.

The first thing she noticed was a woman lying dead on the floor, her body pierced by arrows on her torso, shoulders, arms and neck, while a single line of blood dripped from her mouth onto the floor. It was the woman from the picture. _Leah_. Stepping into the room, Ellie looked at the radio where the static was coming from; there were some papers scattered around the table, some supplies and bottles of water. There was also a pistol next to the radio and whatever happened must have been so fast the woman didn’t have a chance to defend herself. _That serves her well_ , Ellie grunted and looked to the other side of the room, noticing a makeshift bed on the corner and a blue bag under it. Crouching next to it, the girl pulled the bag to her side and started to go over it, searching for anything useful; she found the polaroid camera the woman used to take the picture she found earlier, but other than that, it was just clothes.

“C’mon, gimme something.” Ellie muttered, going for the side pockets, desperate to find anything at all. Some coordinates, another note, or…

Ellie’s fingers brushed over a hard paper material and, frowning slightly, she took whatever it was from inside the bag. That was when the girl’s eyes widened and her mouth went slightly agape as she stared at her own hands; there, held together by a paper clip, were some more polaroid pictures, and the very first one was enough to make Ellie give up on her crouching position and sit on the floor. _Manny_ , she read the name written with a black marker under the picture, which featured a bearded man with dark hair in a bun laughing with his head thrown back. That was him, that was the man Tommy had talked about, the one who punched him and kept him from helping Joel when he got shot back in the chalet. _Now I know your face, motherfucker_. Ellie removed the paper clip and set Manny’s picture aside so she could look at the other ones. There was a photo of a dog, but Ellie quickly flipped to the next one, carefully looking at the names. She immediately recognized the woman in the next picture as the one lying dead on the floor and, as a dark coincidence, the guy posing with his arms around her was the same Ellie had stabbed not only a few hours ago. _Leah and Jordan_ , she read the names to herself. _Who the hell are these people?_

When Ellie looked at the next one, she let out a dried laugh, not really believing what she was seeing. _Are you fucking kidding me?_ Next to Manny and some other dude, was the beanie guy Tommy had interrogated back at the Serevena Hotel. _Manny, Owen and Nick_ , she read their names under the photo, still surprised they all knew each other given how big the WLF was. _At least he wasn’t lying about his name_ , she mused as she put the photo aside and kept looking at the rest of them. The next was just a short haired woman with the same dog from before, and then the same woman posing with a blonde man. With a sigh, Ellie flipped quickly through the rest of the photos in annoyance, trying to see if there was anything else useful, until she reached the last one and felt her eyes go wide again.

It was them. It was… _Nora and Abby_ , Ellie read the names and focused again on the women in the picture, noticing how they matched Tommy’s description precisely. Ellie grimaced as she scanned the face of Joel’s killer, who had a tiny smile hanging from her lips, blue eyes staring right at the camera and her long blonde hair in a braid hanging over her shoulder. _So that’s you_. Ellie’s grip on the picture tightened and she was already crushing its end when a noise coming from the radio startled her.

“Six, this is Two, do you copy?” A voice broke the static and Ellie turned her head towards the table where the radio was “Support unit India en route to the TV station. I repeat-”

“Fuck.” Ellie got to her feet, not before shoveling the pictures into her bag and grabbing whatever ammo and supplies she could see scattered around; she needed to get out of there as soon as possible.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading.
> 
> If you want to, please leave your thoughts on the story so far on the comments below. Don't be a silent reader! >.<
> 
> Some new characters will finally show up on next week's chapter and I can't wait to expand more on their arc.
> 
> Stay safe, take care!
> 
> xx


	16. The Forest

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there!
> 
> Sorry for taking longer than the usual to release this chapter, but there were many things it needed to cover and I wanted to get them all right. It's unbeta'd, so eventually I'll come back to fix any typos or mistakes.
> 
> Thanks once again for all the support on this story, it's definitely much appreciated <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter!
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 016 – The Forest**

**Lev – Somewhere in Seattle**

It was dark, the pale moonlight being the only source of lighting illuminating the path ahead of them, but the Seraphite kids kept running, their footsteps muffled by the wet leaves on the ground.

“This way.” The teenage girl whispered and then climbed on top of a fallen tree trunk so she could jump over a brick wall.

The boy, a few years younger than her, quickly followed his sister, and they both landed on the other side with a soft thud. The boy’s feet were hurting; they had been on the run all day, carefully navigating the city, trying to find the best way out of it, but it was hard with so many Wolves around. And it was even harder now, during the night, when the demons became even more aggressive and unpredictable; not to mention that the weariness and fatigue were starting to take their toll on the kids, making them more susceptible to ambushes or traps.

“This house seems far away enough from the main street.” The girl spoke again, eyeing the back porch of a two story house, partly taken over by the vegetation. Taking an arrow from her quicker and drawing her bow, she stepped into the porched and checked the door, finding it locked “Now help me scan the area and see if we can find a way to the second floor.”

“But Yara…” The boy protested “We should keep moving. What if Wolves show up?”

“We need to rest, Lev.” Yara turned to her brother “We won’t make it outta here if we’re both exhausted. Plus, it’s pitch black and we can’t risk running into demons right now.” She explained calmly but firmly, and the boy only nodded, his body silently asking for a moment of rest while his mind dwelled on it.

After scanning the area, trusting more on their ears than on their eyes, the kids headed back to the house to try and figure out a way to reach the second floor. Lev wished he had one of those light tools he had seen the Wolves use during the night, which helped them navigate dark areas, but he knew Old World tools were forbidden and he couldn’t have any.

“Look, I think I can get you up here.” Yara’s voice brought the boy back from his thought and he looked at her direction.

The roof covering the porch was low enough that the girl could push Lev up so he was able to reach it. Understanding what he needed to do, Lev put his bow behind his back and held onto his sister’s shoulders while his right foot found leverage on her hands. In a swift move, Lev reached the roof and quickly checked the windows of one of the room; not noticing anything suspicious, the boy approached the edge of the roof again and held his arm so his sister could take it. Pulling her up, they both entered the house through the window, which Yara carefully close behind them.

“I’ll check the hallway. Stay here.” She said and slowly headed to the door.

It was a small room and Lev could get some details from the faint light entering the place through the stained glass of the window; there was a bed, a desk with a chair and a messed up dresser with its drawers either missing or wide open.

“It all seems clear.” Yara returned, closing the door behind her “I can’t see much, but I couldn’t hear anything, so I’m sure there aren’t any demons here.”

“Okay.” Lev breathed out, suddenly feeling a wave of tiredness wash over him, and he muffled a yawn with the back of his hand while Yara was busy pushing the dresser to block the door.

She must have noticed though, because the girl gave him a tiny smile, placing her bow on the bed “The sun should be up in a couple of hours, so we can use that time to rest.” The girl also took off her brown coat, spreading it on the carpet floor next to the end of the bed “Here, do the same with yours.”

Lev did the same, leaving his bow and arrow quiver next to them on the floor too. Sitting next to her, Lev sighed and stared at his own hands “I shouldn’t have done this.” He said, still keeping his eyes down “I shouldn’t have drag you into this either. Now we’re both lost, with no supplies, and this whole city wants us dead.”

“Lev…” Yara put one of her hands on his shoulders “This isn’t your fault.”

“Of course it is.” He finally looked up and stared at his sister’s eyes; he was expecting some sort of regret in them, but he was met with a loving look.

“No, it isn’t. To be honest, this is their fault.” The girl reassured him “And of course I’d be here with you. We keep each other safe, remember? Always.”

Lev nodded after a few moments, feeling his eyes well up a bit “Always.” He sniffled and then let out a faint smile when Yara lightly squeezed his shoulder and kissed his temple.

“Now get some rest. We got a long way ahead of us in the morning.” She said, finding a somewhat comfortable position on the floor.

Lev did the same and sent a prayer to the Prophet before closing his eyes. _May she protect us_.

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By the time Lev woke up again, the sunlight was hitting his face, making him roll over, in a failed attempt to get a bit more sleep. But then he realized how hard and stiff the place he was lying was, and that he definitely wasn’t on his makeshift bed back in his home on the island. Sitting up all of a sudden, Lev looked around the room and memories from the past day cleared out in his head.

“Yara?” He called out, noticing that his sister’s coat was missing and the dresser wasn’t blocking the door anymore. _Where is she? What if… What if she left me here?_

Pushing those negative thoughts away, the boy got up, grabbing his bow from the floor and heading for the door “Yara?” He called out again, peeking his head out in the hallway.

Not half a second later, the girl showed up, climbing the stairs as she returned from the first floor “Hey. You’re up.”

Lev sighed in relief, kicking himself mentally for even thinking she could leave him “I thought you had…”

“Don’t be silly.” The girl didn’t let him finish and entered the room again “I was just taking a look at the place. Everything is pretty much picked clean, but at least I found this.” She was holding a can of beans on her hand “Guess it’ll do for breakfast.”

“Alright.” They settled down on the floor again and Lev handed his knife to Yara so she could open the can “So, where do we go now?” The boy asked after swallowing some of the beans, grimacing a bit at the strong taste; they were definitely different from the fresh ones he was used to at their farms.

“Hum, we could try and go back to the shore.” Yara replied as they share the can of beans “Maybe we could find another and just keep following the shoreline, I don’t know… Get some distance.”

Lev listened to his sister, his gaze now focused on his shoes. He didn’t really think about what the real implications of leaving the Island were, he just needed to get away, to get the furthest away from that suffocating place. But now it meant he had nowhere to go; staying in the city was pretty much a death sentence and going back to the Island meant going through a lifetime of punishments that certainly would kill him too.

“Maybe we can just stay away for a while, huh?” Yara spoke again “Just let things…” She trailed off, and Lev knew she was looking for the right words “Maybe things can change after some time.”

 _Maybe Mother will change too_ , Lev mused, the words spoken on their last encounter still printed on his head. _Maybe she just needs some time to think things over_.

“Okay, ready to go? Let’s not wait the sunlight.” Yara got up, leaving the empty can on the desk and grabbing her bow. Lev nodded, grabbing his stuff as well, and they both exited the house through the window.

Keeping an eye out for any strange sightings, the two Seraphite kids made their way through the neighborhood, avoiding all streets and routes that could be used by the Wolves; they had heard some of the Elders say how the city was becoming more and more dangerous as the days went by, so everyone needed to be extra careful. After a while, they left the suburban area, moving towards a much more open area with tall buildings and several cars spread around, in a long state of decay.

“Let’s stick to the walls. I’m sure the rapids are just a few blocks from here. We can follow the water till we reach the shore.” Yara explained, heading to the alleyways between the buildings.

Lev moved right behind his sister, his bow ready on his hands for any trouble they might face. But, unfortunately, it wasn’t enough to protect them from what happened next. As soon as the kids made their second turn into the alleyway, a voice coming from behind startled them both.

“Find you.” A low, male voice made Lev and Yara turn around with wide eyes, looking for the source of the danger.

Then, a Seraphite warrior jumped down from the fire stair case on the side of one of the buildings, landing right in front of Lev; before the boy could aim his bow at him, the guy landed a right hook on Lev’s jaw, making him fall to the ground a few feet away.

“Lev!” Yara yelled as Lev was thrown to the side by the impact on his face.

He groaned in pain, his vision suddenly blurred as he tried to get on his feet, failing miserably. He heard the sound of wood breaking and then screams coming from his sister.

“No! Lemme go!” She screamed and Lev opened his eyes again, seeing the blurred body of the Seraphite pinning Yara to the ground.

“Emily will be pleased to know the apostates were captured.” The man laughed, grabbing what seemed to be some rope from inside his coat.

Holding to the wall, Lev finally got to his feet and took out his knife, ready to attack the man “Take your hands off of her!”

Suddenly, another voice came from their opposite direction, making both Lev and the Seraphite warrior turn their gaze to it.

“What the hell are you doing to her?” The person questioned; it was a tall blond man, wearing boots and military-like clothing, and he was pointing his rifle right at the Seraphite warrior, who was midway through tying Yara’s hands behind her back.

 _It’s a Wolf_ , Lev’s mind yelled at him and he stood there, paralyzed, not really knowing what do to, afraid he would get shot if he moved.

“There’s nothing for you here.” Giving the rope a last thug, the Seraphite stood up, reaching for his pistol behind his back.

Before his hand could even make it all the way back, the Wolf pulled the trigger and a wave of bullets washed over the man’s chest, causing him to fall on his knees and then face forward on the ground.

Lev gasped, thinking he would be next, but then the Wolf simply held his rifle up and took a step forward “Hey, hey. It’s fine.” He said, moving his gaze quickly towards Yara, who was struggling to get rid of the ropes, before staring back at Lev “Why was he hurting you?”

The boy blinked slowly, feeling the side of his face burn from the punch he got, and for a second he thought he might have been imagining it all. _Why hasn’t this Wolf killed us yet?_

“Owen, was that you?!” Someone shouted not too far away from them and the Wolf turned back in the direction of the voice.

Seeing that he was distracted, Lev ran to his sister and started to cut her free from the ropes.

“The fuck is happening here?” The voice was much closer now and upon gazing upwards for a split of a second, Lev noticed that another Wolf was approaching his friend.

“Hurry!” Yara whispered, already getting up while Lev finished cutting the rope.

Without looking back, Lev grabbed his bow that had fallen to the ground, and he and Yara started to run as far away as they could from the two Wolves. Even though they were both confused about what had just happened, the kids didn’t have time to process that weird encounter; the Seraphites were still after them and now the Wolves would have a lead on them as well. It was definitely going to be a long day.

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And it proved to be even worse than they had imagined. Apparently when running away from the Wolves, they ended up going on the opposite direction of the rapids, and then had to find another way to get to them, since it was too dangerous to simply backtrack. It was one thing to navigate the city having only the Wolves to worry about; but now, they needed to watch out for their own kind and somehow that seemed worse than being hunted by demons. Which didn’t mean the demons weren’t a big threat either. Yara was unarmed, since the Seraphite warrior had broken her bow, and they were both without their masks, so they needed to be extra careful about spores whenever they walked into a building or house that could work as a shortcut.

At first, they managed to find another route that led to the rapids, but it seemed like the path was completely taken by demons; the kids could hear their growls and screeches from inside the buildings, which meant the slightest sound could alert all of them. Unfortunately, as they got past an old square, a demon saw them from the balcony of one of the apartment buildings and groaned loudly, launching itself from it and landing right on top of a car’s windshield. The sound of the glass shattering echoed through the area and suddenly many footsteps could be heard coming from all directions.

The kids started to run again as a pack of those fast demons emerged from one of the buildings, breaking the glass of the double doors, making way for the blind ones to follow right behind. Not really caring about where they were going, the two just kept running, going deeper and deeper into the city. After a while, it seemed like they had managed to lose them among the corners and blockages of the city, but their problems were far from over. A group of Seraphites riding their horses spotted them just as they were catching their breath and started to gallop towards them.

“The apostates!” One of them yelled and Lev grabbed an arrow from his quiver, quickly drawing his bow.

“I’m gonna distract them. And I need you to just run away, okay?” Yara said in a hush, grabbing a brick from the ground.

“What? Yara, what are you-” Lev was clearly confused by his sister’s words, but she didn’t let him finish.

“Just do it, Lev. Trust me!”

As soon as the first rider approached them, bow in hand to release an arrow, Yara threw the brick at the Seraphite warrior, who lost his balance and fell off the animal on the asphalt.

Yara was quick to grab the horse by its reigns before it could ran away “Now, Lev! Go!” The girl pretty much shoved her brother against the animal as the rest of the riders got closer and closer to them, a few arrows already being fired in their direction.

“But Yara…” Lev got up on the horse, but frowned when his sister didn’t do the same “You’re not coming?”

“This is your only chance. I’ll keep them off your tracks while you get away. Now go! Trust me!” She yelled and then rushed to the fallen Seraphite warrior, who was slowly getting up on his feet.

“Yara! No!” Lev yelled back, having a hard time controlling the agitated horse beneath him. He couldn’t just leave her behind.

“Go, Lev!” She said right after piercing the man with its own arrow in the neck, and Lev knew it was now or never.

Flickering the reigns once and squeezing the horse lightly with his feet, Lev turned to the opposite direction and ran away, leaving the area as fast as he could. The sun was slowly beginning to set in the horizon and the boy knew he only had a few more hours of sunlight; galloping through the streets of the city, he knew he needed to do exactly what his sister had said, he needed to get away, to escape this mess of a city while he still had the chance. _I can’t_ , Lev thought, having an inner battle. _I can’t leave her behind_. And with that, he turned the horse back to where he came from.

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By the time he got there, everything was quiet again. There was only the dead body of the Seraphite warrior Yara had killed and dozens of arrows scattered on the ground. The sky had become cloudy and faint droplets of rain started to fall when Lev got off the horse, guiding it by its reigns as he approached the muddy area at the edge of the forest looking for tracks. _They couldn’t have killed her_ , the boy mused, thinking back to what happened earlier that morning. The Seraphite warrior tried to tied them up before the Wolf intervened, so that probably meant they were trying to take them back to the Island, or at least back to Emily, since she was the one responsible for the punishments. With that in mind, Lev quickly scanned the area before the rain could erase any possible tracks. Kneeling a few feet into the woods, the boy noticed a few horse tracks leading even further ahead, and he knew that was where he needed to go.

“Okay, boy, you go ahead, alright.” Lev tied the reigns of the horse on its cell so it wouldn’t get caught on anything, and then slapped its back a few times, making it flee into the woods.

The horse neighed a couple of times, bothered by the action, and galloped ahead, slowly disappearing among the trees and bushes. _Good. Hopefully he will distract any patrol that might be around here._ Grabbing his bow from behind his back, Lev took a deep breath and made his way into the woods, knowing how treacherous of a path was ahead of him. The Seraphites navigated the woods like it was a second home to them, using the overgrown vegetation to their advantage, which made it hard to spot them; on top of that, the rain had picked up a little and when Lev found himself maybe 40 feet into the woods, he noticed his surroundings becoming darker and darker. The boy kept walking forward, slight crouched and with his bow in hand since he knew the Seraphites would be on high alert and soon there would be more threats to worry about in the areas. Some demons seemed to get even more dangerous and erratic at night and running into them at the moment was definitely not the best scenario; the boy needed to find where Yara was being held and he only hoped nothing bad had happened to her.

After a few minutes, Lev noticed a faint light ahead of him and he quickly went prone, crawling on the ground until he was safely hidden among the vegetation. Keeping his ears sharp, Lev heard some footsteps slowly making their way to him, but maybe a few feet to his left. As they got closer, the boy saw shadows being cast around the foliage, probably coming from the torches the Seraphites were holding.

“How far should we go back?” One of them asked, voice just above a whisper, and Lev might not have heard it if he wasn’t so close to them.

“Olga told us to check the whole perimeter again.” A woman replied just as quietly “She’s sure we’ll find the other one around here.”

Lev stayed still, drawing his breaths carefully, knowing they were talking about them. The person they mentioned, Olga, was an elite Seraphite warrior that was often on the battlefront in most of their attacks against the Wolves, and he definitely didn’t want to cross paths with her.

Before the boy could eavesdrop on anything else, a loud and long whistle echoed through the area and the footsteps suddenly came to a halt. On the distance, Lev heard the faint high-pitched neigh of a horse and was sure they might have found the one he sent away earlier. _So now they know I’m really close_. A couple of seconds later, one of the Seraphites near him replied with two short, but loud whispers too, and then started running, following behind by his partner to probably check what had happened. _This is my chance_ , Lev thought, getting out of his hiding spot.

Thunders echoed from above the trees, matching the striking rain that was pouring down as the night settled upon the city. Lev kept walking until he reached the remains of a building; going up a slope next to one of the walls that were still standing, the boy found himself on a higher place and was able to scan the area better. Just ahead of him, Lev could see a small clearing; an eerie orange glowing surrounded it, as the only light source came from a car burning in flames, a contrast to the sea of dark, tall trees. That was a metal structure that extended itself from the destroyed building behind Lev to the other side of the clearing, disappearing into the forest; when the boy looked up, he spotted three bodies hanging from it, with their guts spilling out of their stomachs, still fresh. _Wolves_ , the boy mused and then realized that the rest of that Seraphite patrol was probably scattered around because they were busy chasing after Wolves. _Maybe they might not have had time to deal with Yara yet. I need to find her!_

Sounds of twigs breaking nearby drew Lev out of his thoughts, making him turn his head to the edge of the clearing, where the shape of two Seraphites started to emerge from the woods. He couldn’t quite see their faces clearly since their hoods were up, but the boy immediately recognized the woman as being Emily, one of their leading commanders in battle; the pistol holster across her chest was a trademark, along with the hunting knife she always carried with her, to punish Wolves or any others who she thought weren’t deserving of their lives.

Still out of sight, Lev watched as Emily and the other Seraphite dragged what seemed to be a Wolf woman with her hands tied behind her back. They dropped her in the middle of the clearing and then the guy grabbed a hanging rope and wrapped it around the woman’s neck, who struggled with her restraints. After he was done, the guy pulled the other end of the rope tightly, securing it on one of the metal bars of the same structure the Wolf was now hanging from, and then held the woman in place while Emily put a tiny bucket under the Wolf’s feet so she could barely hold her weight on it.

If Lev weren’t so focused on what was going on on his surroundings, he would have missed a faint screech that echoed on his far right; but the boy was aware of the dangers lurking the woods and he didn’t have much time to lose. Moving quietly around the clearing, trying his best not to be spotted, Lev saw the moment Emily removed her hood and stopped right in front of the hanging Wolf, her hunting knife reflecting the flames coming from the burning car. _Maybe I can get past around them while they're busy gutting her_ , Lev wondered as he looked around searching for a better route. He didn’t know exactly where they could be holding Yara, but he had a feeling it was close by; they wouldn’t have taken her back to the Island, not when Emily was still finishing her round of punishments in the city.

The boy could see that Emily was saying something to the Wolf, but the words were being muffled by the rain pouring down on them as she pointed her knife to the Wolf’s belly. However, just when he thought he would have the chance to keep moving forward and away from the clearing, an urgent whistle echoed through the trees, which caused Emily to stop briefly and look behind her back. The other Seraphite quickly made his way towards the source of the whistle, disappearing briefly into the woods, and Lev held tightly to his bow, ready to make a run to their opposite direction. But the sound of familiar screams approaching the clearing made the boy stop dead in his tracks. _It’s Yara_.

With eyes open wide, Lev watched from behind a bush as two Seraphites carried his sister by her arms as she struggled to get away from them. When they approached the clearing, Emily turned her back to the Wolf and took a couple of steps towards the girl.

“Yara.” Lev heard the woman say and then whisper something to his sister. The boy couldn’t understand, but whatever the words were, they must have made Yara mad, because she spat out right in Emily’s face.

 _Oh no, this is bad. This is really bad_ , Lev thought to himself, knowing that Emily would never forgive that kind of confrontation. And she certainly didn’t.

“Clip her wings.” A shiver ran down the boy’s body as he heard her next words.

The two other Seraphites quickly followed her orders and threw Yara on the ground, each holding onto her arms, preventing her from escaping. One of them grabbed a hammer that was tied on his waist and slowly lifted it, ready to strike. Lev winced in anticipation and looked around, knowing he had to act fast before they killed her. _No, no… I have to do something_. The rest of the forest was pitch black, the only light source coming from the burning car in the clearing, but Lev could still hear the grunts and screeches of demons not too far from there.

Yara’s screams echoed through the area a few seconds later and Lev felt it in his bones as the Seraphite crushed his sister’s left arm with the hammer. He squeezed his bow harder, an arrow already set, and seeing he didn’t have time to think of something else, the boy decided to act. _Please, protect her_ , he silently pleaded the Prophet as he fired an arrow right through one of the Seraphite’s head, just when he was about to strike Yara’s other arm. Just to make sure, Lev fired another one, this time hitting the guy’s chest as he fell down on the ground, and then moved quietly to a fallen tree trunk nearby, remaining out of sight.

Lev watched as both Emily and the other Seraphite turned their heads towards the direction where the arrows came from, and just when he was about to grab another arrow from his quiver, Yara grabbed the hammer that have been dropped by her side and struck the other Seraphite in the head while he was distracted. Eager to hit Emily before the woman could do anything, Lev pulled the string a bit too hastily and missed the arrow; startled by it, Emily snapped her head towards the sound and shot a few times into the forest, but Lev moved quickly through the shadows, being a hard target to hit.

The Seraphite woman then looked back at Yara and pointed her gun at the girl, and before Lev could get the right angle to stop her, he watched as the Wolf woman hooked her legs around Emily’s neck, choking her. Lev lowered his bow and a gasp left his mouth when an injured Yara finished the job by slamming the hammer on Emily’s head, then falling to the ground, groaning in pain.

“Yara!” Lev shouted, finally jumping out of his cover and stepping into the clearing. The Wolf had let go of Emily’s body and was suffocating with the rope tight around her neck, since she didn’t have any kind of support under her feet anymore; Lev eyed her carefully but moved to his sister’s side, who had managed to rest her back on a concrete block.

“Yara…” Lev kneeled beside her, seeing the state of her left arm, completely limp next to her body. The girl simply waved him off, even though her pained expression said otherwise. “Demons are coming.” He warned her, knowing they had to get out of there immediately.

The girl raised her good hand to rest slightly on her broken arm and then looked over Lev’s shoulder “Cut her down.” Yara said.

Lev followed her gaze, his eyes landing on the Wolf again, who was struggling more than ever to breathe “She’s one of them.” Lev turned to his sister again, not really understanding why they should help her.

“Lev!” Yara said more firmly this time and Lev had no other option but to do what his sister was asking him to.

The boy got up and grabbed his knife, taking a couple of steps towards the metal bar where the rope was tied to. The Wolf was groaning in pain, her face growing a deep shade of red, and when Lev finished cutting the rope, she fell hard on the ground, drawing her breath in long gasps. Lev approached her carefully and cut the ropes that held her wrists together, quickly taking a few steps back as the woman coughed and tried to get on her feet; now from up close, the boy noticed she was tall and muscular, her defined biceps bulging as she removed the rope from around her neck, and Lev only hoped she wouldn’t attack them. He watched as the Wolf reached for the hammer that was still stuck to Emily’s head and pulled it off, looking around as she ran her hand over her neck.

Suddenly, they all heard a tree branch snapping not so far away from them, followed by a few rustling sounds of steps and grunts; Lev stood in front of his sister with his bow ready, scanning the area as the demons got closer.

“Watch your backs.” The Wolf said over her shoulder before turning her gaze to the forest ahead, waiting for the incoming danger.

And it sure came. Not a few seconds later, a demon emerged from the dark shadows of the forest, quickly moving on all fours right in their direction. The Wolf took a step forward, ready to face it, and then hit the demon once in the head with the hammer, quickly dodging its strike as it tried to gnaw her with its long arm. She hit him again, followed by another quick dodge before she delivered the final blow to his head; Lev stayed behind, eyes wide alert to his surroundings as he watched the Wolf knock down the first demon with ease while Yara stayed crouched out of sight.

Soon after, two more demons showed up behind them, and both Lev and the Wolf turned around to deal with them. Always keeping his distance, Lev moved around the clearing so he could shoot his arrows at one of the demons while the Wolf remained within melee range of the other one. They finished them off, but more kept coming from the forest; the demons gathered around the Wolf this time, but Lev helped her from afar with precise arrows while the woman hit them fiercely. The boy was so focused on getting his shots right that he didn’t even noticed when another demon emerged from one of the bushes and launched itself towards him. Lev managed to duck from its strike, but the demon was too close for the boy to hit it with an arrow, so he just kept it at bay using his bow as a shield. Before he could think of a way out, the Wolf showed up behind the demon, kicking it once in the ribs and making it lose its balance; then, she landed a harsh blow to its head and the demon fell to the ground, still shrieking. Making sure it wouldn’t get up, the Wolf hit it one, two, three times in the head until the hammer broke down, the metal end stuck to the demon’s forehead.

The clearing was silent and they seemed safe for the time being, but Lev knew it was just a matter of time before more demons showed up. He looked at the place where Yara was hiding and then approached the girl who slowly got to her feet and grabbed a torch from the ground, lighting it up with the flames of the burning car.

“Wolf. We have to… We have to move.” Yara said while Lev got another arrow from his quiver, leaving his bow ready again.

The boy kept his gaze on the Wolf and thought that maybe his sister was right about having him cut the woman down; they could use her to escape the woods and reach the shore “Where are you going?” The Wolf asked, her voice a bit sore probably due to the rope pressure.

“Out of this woods.” Yara replied already moving into the forest.

“We gotta run. Now.” Lev moved right behind his sister, knowing he would have to keep her close since she was wounded and couldn’t defend herself. The Wolf followed them too as Yara illuminated the dark path ahead of them.

“The coast is this way.” His sister pointed out the trails on the ground; the rain had died down a bit and was now just pouring faintly through the tree tops. That also meant there were no more sounds to muffle the demons’ screeches, which could be heard all around the area. They ran a few more meters into the forest until a demon jumped in front of them, causing Yara to lose her balance and fall to the ground.

“Yara!” Lev shouted, reaching for his sister and hoping the Wolf would take care of the threat.

And she did it. The Wolf grabbed a rock from the ground and threw it at the demon; then, she kicked it and landed a powerful right hook on his face, killing it.

“Lev, they’re all around us!” Yara yelled, trying to get away from a couple more demons that emerged from the forest.

The boy shot an arrow on one of the demon’s back, getting his attention, while the Wolf grabbed another closer to Yara, throwing him on the ground and then smashing its head with her boot.

“That was the last of them.” Yara breathed out, getting her torch that had fallen to the ground.

“You two okay?” The Wolf asked; there was some blood splashed across her face and her knuckles were bloody from punching the demons “They won’t stop coming, we have to keep moving.”

“This way.” Yara led the way again, following the trail ahead of them.

“Every direction looks the same.” The Wolf was keeping up with them “You sure you know where you’re going?”

“It has to be this way.” Yara replied, running past some abandoned stores and rusty cars. Lev heard the Wolf mumble something under her breath, but he couldn’t make up the words; he just hoped she wouldn’t attack them all of a sudden since the demons were still nearby.

After a couple more minutes running nonstop, they came upon a partly destroyed concrete structure, and Lev rushed ahead to get some bushes out of the way and clear the path “It’s just up here.”

Lev helped his sister get passed the tight hole on the wall and then jumped down next to her, hearing the Wolf do the same after him. The structure was an old bridge, surrounded by a tall security fence, and was pretty much used as a tunnel since it fell down.

“Those are fresh.” The Wolf pointed at a couple of dead bodies on the ground; Lev couldn’t make out their faces, since they had been teared apart by demons, but he could see they were Seraphites by their clothing “Is there any other way around?”

“If there were, would we be going this way?” Lev retorted, looking over his shoulder to where the Wolf was. _At least the Elders were right about this_ , he thought to himself; _the Wolves aren’t very smart_.

Leaving her behind, Lev caught up with his sister, who was facing a part of the fence that wasn’t completely overtaken by the vegetation “C’mon, Lev. Get it open.” She pointed to a loose part of the metal net at the bottom of the fence.

When Lev was about to crouch next to it and try to push it, the Wolf approached them and asked him to get out of the way “Move.”

In a swift move, the woman lifted part of the fence, making the gap wide enough for a person to get through “Go.”

Lev went first and, after putting out the torch in a nearby puddle, Yara followed her brother to the other side, groaning a little at all the effort it was taking her.

“I got you.” Lev held her once she made it out of the tunnel and they both continued walking forward while the Wolf squeezed through the gap.

But then, moving from behind a crate on the next area, a large person let out a snarl and, before Lev could react, he was pushed to the side and onto the ground by a strong shove of a war hammer. Still disoriented, he felt the person grab him by his neck, lifting him from the ground. _No, it’s Olga_ , he realized upon looking up; she was a bulky Seraphite warrior that was probably with Emily’s patrol. The boy was hitting his fists on her arms in a useless attempt to get rid of her grasp, but then he fell to ground again when the Wolf suddenly jumped on top of Olga, knocking her down as well a few feet away. Lev quickly made his way to his sister, carrying her to the side so she could catch her breath, and to stay out of the way since the Wolf was about to engage in a fight with Olga, who had already gotten to her feet.

“You!” Olga shouted at the Wolf, as if they had met before.

“Are you wearing my backpack?” The Wolf shouted back and then Olga hurled herself with her war hammer towards the woman.

 _This isn’t good, this isn’t good at all_ , Lev mused, currently kneeling next to his sister “Can you walk? We’re gonna have to run.” He whispered.

“Yeah, just… Just gimme a minute.” Yara breathed heavily and the boy could tell she was trying to hide the pain from him.

Giving her a quick nod, Lev turned his gaze back to the two women, who were still having a face off. Despite being strong and fit, The Wolf was unarmed, and Lev didn’t think she was going to make it, not when Olga was taller, more experienced, and had a huge melee weapon to her advantage. His only hope was to have them distracted enough so he and Yara could move towards a door in the back that led inside a building.

Lev watched as Olga swung her hammer at the Wolf, who dodged with ease and then landed a few punches before Olga pushed her back with a kick to the Wolf’s stomach. The woman wavered a bit, but was quickly back in combat position just when Olga tried to hit her again with the hammer. Lev was definitely underestimating the Wolf, because she dodged Olga’s swings yet again, being faster than the Seraphite woman. The Wolf landed another set of punches at Olga, whose face was already a bloody mess, but when she was going for another strike, the Seraphite woman managed to block her with her shoulder, grabbing the Wolf by her long braid and turning her around, using her hammer to pin the woman against her chest.

The Wolf held tightly to the wooden end of the hammer, trying to escape Olga’s tight grip on her, and just when Lev thought it was going to be the end of it all, the Wolf reached upwards with her hand, in the direction of Olga’s head, and ripped the bandages that the Seraphite woman had on her right ear. Olga let out a yelp, raising one of her hands to her wound, and the Wolf took that opportunity to step away from her; now angrier than ever, Olga pushed forward with another swing of her hammer, but the Wolf was faster and dodged the strike, hitting Olga in the face again. She tried to push the Wolf away with her hammer, but the woman was faster once again, and held the hammer with her two hands. Olga groaned and tried to shove the Wolf with the weight of her body, but the woman used her right elbow to hit Olga in the face, grabbing the hammer from her hands and then kicking her in the guts, which caused the Seraphite woman to fall prone on the ground.

Lev felt Yara’s grip on his coat tighten when the Wolf approached Olga, who mumbled a few pleading words under her breath right before the Wolf raised the hammer and stuck its pointy end to the woman’s forehead, blood splatting everywhere. The boy looked at his sister with worried eyes, but she just whispered a simple _it’s done_ and then tried to get up. Lev helped her get to her feet and then both approached the Wolf slowly, who was currently busy getting her backpack from Olga’s body.

“You guys alright?” The Wolf asked, turning her gaze briefly at them while she checked her stuff.

“Yes.” Lev replied as he grabbed his bow from the ground, still trying to process everything that had happened in such a short amount of time. _Why is this Wolf helping us?_

The Wolf took a final look at her gun before settling it on her shoulder and cleaning the blood on her face with her forearm “Let’s keep moving then.”

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, if you're enjoying this story, please consider leaving a comment down below, it really means a lot to me :')
> 
> We're approaching the end of Day 1, only two more chapters left. I'll see you soon then.
> 
> Stay safe and take care!
> 
> xx


	17. The Pinnacle Theater

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> A short chapter to end Ellie's day 1 in the city, hope you'll enjoy it. It's unbeta'd, but I'll come back eventually for any mistakes or typos.
> 
> Thanks again for all the support, it means a lot to me <3
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 017 – The Pinnacle Theater**

**Ellie – Seattle, end of Day 1**

After the message on the radio, that said another WLF patrol was heading over to the TV station, Ellie grabbed her stuff and started to look for a way out. She couldn’t just go back the way she came in and risk running into the Wolves; so, scanning the floor she was in, the girl headed to a large room with an oval table and glass windows marking one of the walls. Most of the glass had been broken by tree branches that were making their way into the room and, looking down, Ellie realized she could use the branches to reach the metal roof of what seemed to cover the parking lot in the back of the building.

Carefully, the girl executed her plan and landed not so smoothly on the roof after scrapping her forearms on the tree trunk as she made her way down. Differently from the front entrance, the back area was heavily damaged, probably after taking most of the bombings; there were large gaps on the concrete creating almost like a giant staircase that led down and that was where Ellie kept heading to. From the distance, she could already hear the sound of tire screeching on the asphalt, which meant the Wolves were getting closer. Without stopping, Ellie reached a large area that seemed like a construction site from the old days, judging by the half-finished concrete road that was barely standing a few feet up and all the signs and tools scattered around. She really couldn’t see a way up and thinking that it would be better to stay out of the streets, the girl entered door that said Level 1, quickly barricading it with a vending machine so no one could get in from the outside.

_Okay, now what?_ Ellie mused and turned on her flashlight to have a look around. The place was full of debris, some walls had fallen apart also due to the impact of the bombs, and it seemed to be more of maintenance tunnel that hopefully would connect to the subway; maybe she could get a breather if she reached another part of the city. Since the main corridor was completely blocked, Ellie had to squeeze through a gap on one of the walls until she got to the other room, already noticing some spores floating in the air. _Shit_ , she thought, not really surprised since the infected loved closed off spaces; but from the amount of mold and fungi growing on some corners, it also meant they have been down there for a while and the last thing Ellie needed was to get face to face with a bloater.

She kept pressing forward then, not really bothering to put on her mask, since it wasn’t like anyone would see her down there anyway. _Huh, I bet you woulda bugged me to wear it till I finally put it on_ , Ellie mused, thinking of Joel. He was always so persistent on her wearing her mask, even when they were by themselves on an area with spores; at that time, Ellie didn’t understand why Joel was so adamant about it, and even now, after she found out what really happened at the hospital, it didn’t make much sense. It didn’t matter if people knew about her immunity, it’s not like they could do anything about it, so why was it a big deal to him? Ellie huffed, not really wanting to think about that now.

As she continued moving through the tight spaces among all the debris, she tried to focus on another set of memories she had with Joel. Ellie missed their time together, when it was just the two of them travelling around, facing all kind of dangers head on. She felt safer with him and, as a faint screech of a clicker echoed in the distance, Ellie wished he was there with her. _Well, but I guess I wouldn’t be in this predicament if you were still alive_ , she shook her head. _But I know you would do this for me. Or Tommy, or Jesse, or Maria…_

With that in mind, Ellie crawled under a huge block of concrete, trying to see with her flashlight what was ahead of her. The passage was blocked by a metal bar, but it was damaged enough so that Ellie could easily move it out of the way and make it to the other side. The girl immediately recognized a big subway train kind of bent out of the tracks, slightly leaning on one of the walls and she was sure she had reached the subway station. _Good, now I just have to follow the tracks till the main entrance_. But that was easier said than done. The area was pitch black aside from the light coming from her flashlight, so the girl knew she needed to be careful; there were infected around and the slightest wrong turn could put her in a compromising situation.

Then, slowly, Ellie started to make her way forward, seeing a couple of subway trains still attached to the tracks and keeping close to them as she noticed the tunnel curving a bit to the right. After a few minutes, she came upon a blockage caused by part of the ceiling that had fallen over, making a pile of concrete right next to one of the trains. Ellie had no other option but to cut through the inside of the wagon; luckily, the door was opened, but as soon as she stepped into it and looked around, her flashlight illuminated the back of a clicker, that was faintly groaning as it stood still maybe five feet ahead of her. _Shit_ , Ellie cursed mentally, already grabbing her jackknife from her back pocket. Without making a sound, the girl approached it from behind and sunk the knife on its head, feeling the blood drip on her fingers as the clicker flinched for a few seconds and then fell to the floor, dead. Ellie pushed it away and then cleaned her hand on the back of her jeans, hoping that none of the other infected had heard her.

She kept going through the wagon, which had also been damaged by all the debris that fell on top of it, but she could crouch under the tight spaces and doors. When she reached the end of it, Ellie jumped down to the tracks again and continued following the tunnel, the only sounds coming from her sneakers pressing down on the gravel under them. After a while, Ellie came to a halt once again, since the tunnel ahead of her as completely blocked by a cluster of trains, some of the tracks and on top of the others, making it impossible for her to keep going that way; with no other place to go, Ellie opened a door to the side of the tunnels and entered what seemed to be the maintenance area. She could see many old gas pipes and machinery, not to mention that heavy iron smell that hovered all over the place. Before the girl could inspect the area any further, a low grunting sound reverberated through the metal plates, and Ellie felt the hair on the back of her neck stood up. _What the fuck was that?_ She had encountered bloaters only a couple of times in her life, sure, but that didn’t sound like one. Whatever it was though, she didn’t want to face it, so she needed to find a way up as soon as possible and get the fuck out of that place.

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And she did, eventually. What she didn’t expect was to find most of the infected closer to the surface than she had imagined in the first place and that now most of them were chasing her as she made her way up the subway station, trying to find the exit.

“Fuck off!” Ellie shouted as she fell on the steps of a broken escalator, the hand of a runner grabbing her ankle desperately.

The girl pulled out her pistol and shot it in the head, quickly pushing its body down the stairs and getting up to her feet, rushing over to the end of the corridor, where another set of escalator was. _How fucking big is this place?_ She grunted, moving up the steps at full speed as a dozen of runners and clickers tried to get over a security gate to her left. _C’mon, c’mon, c’mon_. Ellie kept running, finally seeing the check in gates up ahead; at the same time, the infected managed to force the security gate down and were coming at her with loud screams and screeches.

“Please, don’t get stuck.” Ellie begged as she tried to move the gate, squeezing through the tight space. Just when she thought a clicker would get to her, the gate rolled the last bit and Ellie made her way to the other side, falling to the ground as the infected piled up on the inside, unable to get pass the metal bars.

“Fuck me.” The girl breathed out and got up to her feet, seeing a faint light coming through glass doors that most definitely led to the exit.

As Ellie stepped outside onto the grass, still catching her breath, she noticed the sun had already set and the area was being faintly illuminated by the moonlight coming through the clouds. The girl realized she had spent way too long on the underground and it would be best to just find some shelter for the night; she didn’t know the city well enough to navigate it during the night, not when so many threats were lurking around. Scanning the area around her, Ellie saw a building with a large panel above its entrance; the letters were partly covered by the vegetation that had grown over them, but it seemed to be some kind of theater.

“Pinnacle…” Ellie tried to read it, and then remembered seeing something about it on her map. Taking it from her backpack, the girl illuminated it with her flashlight and found the place she was in. _Pinnacle Theater_. Looking at the building again, the girl didn’t see any light sources or movements coming from inside, so it probably wasn’t a WLF outpost. _Well, the TV station was also quiet and look what I found there_ , she thought, still unsure. But knowing she couldn’t just stay there in the middle of the street all night, Ellie just stuffed the map in her bag again and headed to the front door. _Fuck it_.

She approached the set of double doors across the front entrance, seeing that most of them were locked and pretty dusty, meaning no one had been around in quite a while. One of the doors didn’t have any chains on the handles, so Ellie forced it open carefully, afraid it was holding something behind it. But apparently, it was just barricaded from the inside, so giving it a few more hard pushes, Ellie finally got it open, watching as a pile of chairs fell to the ground. _Very subtle, Ellie_. Guessing that if the sound didn’t alarm anyone, it meant she was alone there. Stepping into the large hall, Ellie closed the door behind her, using one of the chairs to block the handles from the inside.

Finally being able to look around, the girl noticed the theater must have been a fancy place back in the old days, giving the leather couches and armchairs on the corners of the hall, a huge chandelier hanging from the ceiling, and goldish wallpaper that was slightly peeling away on some parts that matched the red curtains on the windows. There was a rounded wooden counter in the back, a restroom to the left, and another set of double doors that Ellie couldn’t get it open since it was locked. _Up to the second floor, then_.

Heading to the stairs to her right, Ellie reached the upper floor, which was just was quiet and abandoned as the one below. There were the remains of a bar, with empty bottles and glasses behind the counter, a corridor that was completely blocked with couches, chair and other furniture, and a lounge area to the left that faced the hall downstairs. Ellie was just thinking of crashing on one of the couches when she saw door next to the bar with a sign that said ‘Authorized access only’. Hoping to find something worth scavenging there, Ellie opened it and climbed up the couple of steps that led to the staff area.

There were some lockers, some cleaning materials and a window that connected itself to the fire case stairs. To her left though, there was another door that said ‘projection room’, which Ellie also opened and stepped inside. It was a fairly small room, with some tables and desks on the back, a projector, and some more lockers and materials Ellie had no idea what they were. What she did recognize was a radio on top of one of the desks in the back. _Hello there_.

Ellie approached the desk, noticing some FEDRA paperwork around it, and try to turn the radio on, with no success; apparently, it didn’t have any power source. _Fuck. Please tell me there’s a generator around here_. Looking under the desk, the girl noticed a yellow cable connected to the radio that kept going towards the door and out the windows, glued to the floor with duct tape. _That must be it_.

Getting out the window and following the cable to the roof, Ellie climbed a small leader upwards and finally reached a wooden construction that held some electronic equipment and the power source of the generator. Surprised it still had gas, Ellie turned it on and then headed back to the projection room just as it started to rain. Closing the door behind her, the girl dropped her bag near the desk and sat one a chair, pushing it so it would stay in front of the radio.

Ellie messed with the buttons, trying to tune into a working station “C’mon, gimme something.” She kept trying for a few more minutes, but then gave up since all she was picking up was static.

With a heavy sigh, Ellie slouched on the chair, closing her eyes for a few moments; she was finally starting to feel the weariness taking over her body, but she wasn’t ready to fall asleep just yet. Opening her eyes again, the girl looked up to the wall right in front of her; there was a big Seattle map on it, this one much more detailed than the one she was carrying. It was divided in sections and it covered all the way to the shore; with a red pen she found in one of the drawers, Ellie reached up and marked the places she had been during that day. The Serevena Hotel, the Capitol Hill neighborhood, the TV Station… And now the Pinnacle Theater. Starting at the map again, she realized how much of the city she still needed to cover, not only to find Abby, but also Tommy. _Where the hell did they take him?_

Reaching for her bag with another sigh, Ellie grabbed the polaroid pictures she had taken from the dead girl back at the TV station and placed them on the desk, focusing on the faces that really interested her. _Manny, Nora and Abby_. The girl recited their names as she watched their stupid faces on the pictures, not letting a single detail go unnoticed. Ellie couldn’t really see much of the background of the pictures, but it seemed like they were taken in a decent place; the one with the dog showed a large green area in the back and Ellie was almost sure she could see blurred fences and cows in the distance. _Fuck_ , she threw the photo aside, rubbing her eyes. _Is that their main base? Maybe that’s where they took Tommy_.

She looked at the map again and decided to keep trying with the radio, since it would be the only way to get any new information about the Wolves’ outposts. If Tommy was still alive, and she _knew_ he was, he didn’t have much time, and she couldn’t waste the next day running around in circles without a proper location to go or at least some sort of lead. However, Ellie didn’t even realized the moment she drifted off and fell into slumber with her head resting on one of her arms on the desk.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, if you're enjoying the story so far, please consider leaving a comment down below, it'd be much appreaciated.
> 
> Next chapter marks the end of day 1 to Abby and we'll finally move on to day 2, where some interesting things will happen... 👀
> 
> See you next week then. Stay safe and take care!
> 
> xx


	18. Hard Cold Truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!
> 
> This chapter marks the end of Day 1 and I hope you enjoy it. 
> 
> As always, thank you so much for all the support you've been giving this story, it means a lot to me <3
> 
> xx
> 
> Oh, tw for a minor Abby/Owen scene

#  **Chapter 018 – Hard Cold Truth**

**Abby – End of day 1**

Abby could feel her head spinning and she didn’t know if it was from fighting the big Seraphite woman or from the rollercoaster of events that happened in the last few hours. Her plans to get to the Aquarium before sunset were terribly interrupted and she almost ended up being gutted while hanging from a tree; her neck and wrists were still burning a bit from the rope that had been tied around them and she knew she would be dead if it weren’t for the two Seraphite kids who were currently standing next to her. Somehow they were being chased by their own group and while Abby had no idea why, she was glad they managed to free her. _This is crazy_.

“I think we can cut through this building.” She heard the Seraphite kid say as he was standing next to what it seemed like a garage door that led to a mechanic shop, judging by the fading letters written on the door.

Letting her thoughts rest for a moment, Abby approached the boy, who still had his bow on his hands as the other kid rested her back on a wall close to him. Abby noticed some similarities on their features and guessed they were siblings or something; the girl looked as if she was a few years older than the boy, who was smaller and skinnier. Kneeling in front of the door, Abby slowly lifted it up, making enough room for the kids to get to the other side.

The boy, whose name Abby had forgotten in the midst of everything that happened, helped his sister Yara and when they were inside the building, Abby got through as well and let the door close behind her. She watched as the girl held to her broken arm with a pained expression, making her way into the workshop with her brother in toe.

“How’s the arm?” Abby asked, knowing it was probably hurting like hell.

“I have it under control.” The girl was quick to reply and Abby huffed as she started to look around the place. _At least she’s tough, I’ll give her that_.

“Okay.” Abby didn’t press on “Grab any supplies you find.” She rummaged through some of the workbenches, surprised there were still some useful parts to scavenge and some ammo left behind.

“We can’t touch this stuff. It’s Old World.” The boy said like it was the most obvious thing in the world and Abby was glad she had her back to him, that way he couldn’t see her rolling her eyes. _He can’t be serious_.

“If you’re gonna survive out there, you need supplies.” The blonde replied as she used one of the tools in a workbench to improve the barrel of her shotgun, increasing the damage.

“We’re fine.” He retorted and Abby just shook her head, annoyed at this stupid argument, and finished the improvements on her weapon.

Once she was done, Abby followed the kids to the other room of the shop, careful not to hit her head on some cars hanging from jack stands “So I’ve never seen Scars going after Scars before.” She commented and then heard the boy mumble ‘Seraphites’ under his breath. _Whatever_. “What the hell did you do?”

“I shaved my head.” The boy answered and Abby rolled her eyes again. _Were all Scar kids weird like this_?

“Fine. Don’t tell me. I really don’t care.” Abby was just trying to make conversation, but if they were just going to lie to her, it was pointless. The blonde was sure she had heard the Seraphite woman who tried to gut her call the kids apostates, so it was clear there were more to it. _They’re all crazy anyway_.

They kept moving, reaching the front of the shop which was a mess of shelves and stands with some car parts and equipment scattered around. Abby’s flashlight was the only source of light, illuminating the room every time she moved around, and she noticed how the front entrance and the windows were all barricaded with wooden plates, making it impossible to get through.

“Here.” She heard the boy say as he walked towards another room in the far right, where part of the wall had crashed down, covering the floor in mud and debris.

Abby followed them outside, jumping down onto the asphalt as the rain hit them again. They seemed to be in some kind of park, judging by a sign nearby, but the trees and bushes had already taken over what was left of most of the trails. The three of them started to make their way up the path and, suddenly, gnarls and groans could be heard coming in their direction.

“Demons!” The boy said, reaching over to his sister.

Abby grabbed a wrench she had found inside the shop, getting ready for combat “Stay behind me.” She said just as two runners started to make their way towards them.

The blonde moved up as well, trying to get their attention off the kids, and struck the first one in the head, making it fall back while she quickly dodged the attack coming from the other runner. Not wanting to waste any bullets, Abby finished them off with the wrench, hitting the tool on their heads till it broke down.

“C’mon, let’s keep moving before more show up.” Abby called the kids out, already making her way up the path. She could see some wood steps in the mud, almost as if the trail had some improvised stairs in the past, and maybe that was the right way to go.

They reached another building, this one almost falling apart with holes on the walls and on the floor, but it was the only way to keep moving forward. When she looked down to the lower floor, Abby saw her flashlight illuminate the back of a runner, who was groaning quietly in the corner of the room. _Shit_. As the kids approached her, Abby gestured for them to be quiet and then pointed down.

“We’ll have to move quietly.” She whispered “I think we can get across without alerting them, just follow me, okay?”

The two kids nodded and then Abby jumped over the first gap on the floor, trying her best not to make any sound. Yara jumped over next, wincing in pain as she landed with a soft thud; even with the long sleeved shirt the girl was wearing, Abby could see her arm had been heavily damaged and she wondered what the hell these kids were going to do. Putting his bow around his chest, Lev jumped as well, moving fast and lightly as a feather.

“Okay. Only two more.” Abby whispered again, seeing the moonlight illuminate some trees on the other end of the building. More groans and heavy footsteps could be heard coming from the first floor, but it didn’t seem like any of the infected had noticed their presence.

Abby jumped over the second gap, holding on to the wall on one side to keep her balance and then the two kids did the same. _Alright, almost there_ , the blonde thought to herself as she made the last jump, but as her feet landed on the unsteady floor, she felt it crack a bit. _Oh no, not now._ When Yara and her brother made the jump, the floor started to crumble down and one of the walls started to give in.

“To the other side, c’mon!” Abby urged the kids, hearing the infected groan and scream loudly as they ran toward the source of all the noise.

The three of them jumped hastily to the outside of the building, landing on the grass as the infected gathered around the front door, which was barricaded from the inside. Abby quickly got up on her feet, afraid any of them would come out and attack them, but the door seemed be holding on, at least for the time being.

“We have to go.” The boy frowned and reached over to his sister, who was breathing heavily as she leaned on her good arm, still on the ground.

“Just… I just need to…” Yara sighed, probably struggling with the pain of her injury.

Knowing they needed to get out of there immediately, Abby approached the girl, kneeling beside her “You’re going to hold on tight.” And with that, the blonde carefully picked Yara up, lifting her with ease.

_If Isaac saw me right now_ , Abby mused as she carried the Scar kid on her arms as the other one led the way through the trees. _Just get them to safety, and then head over to the Aquarium_.

“Ah, my arm…” Yara whimpered in pain.

“I know. Just focus on your breathing, okay?” Abby tried to calm the girl “In and out. Nice and steady.” Yara shivered slightly, but tried to do as the blonde told her.

Up ahead, Abby could see some rusty containers partly covered by the vegetation and a huge crane in the distance, hinting they were definitely close to the shore. Getting past one of the containers, they reached an area with some trailers parked around and Abby thought it would be a good idea to seek shelter in one of them.

“Try the doors.” She told the boy, who quickly went over to the closest trailer “Make sure there are no infected.”

“It won’t open.” He said, and before Abby could tell him to try the other ones, the boy was already making his way to the next trailer.

He didn’t have any luck with the second one either, but Abby kept walking as Yara whimpered quietly, holding to her broken arm.

“Wolf! In here.” The boy said as he opened the door of the last trailer.

Heading inside with Yara, Abby told the boy to lock the door as she looked into the next room, which seemed to be clear. It was a small office that, to her surprise, hadn’t been trashed down, and slowly, Abby lowered Yara onto the couch, careful not to hurt her.

“Lev, come help me with this.” The girl asked for her brother and while he helped her, the blonde went over to the windows, peeking through the blinds to see if anyone had followed them or something.

Looking over to the kids again, Abby saw that the boy, Lev, had helped his sister take off her long sleeved shirt, exposing her broken arm. _Jesus Christ_. Abby locked her jaw as she examined the injury from where she was standing; she wasn’t a doctor, but being raised by two of them gave her enough knowledge to spot heavy trauma on a patient. Yara’s left arm was a shade of pinkish red, up to her elbow, and Abby could see the broken bones where they had been shattered on the inside.

“Hey.” She heard Yara get her brother’s attention since he was looking at her injury with wide, worried eyes “It just needs to be set, ‘kay?” Then, Yara turned to the blonde “You know how to do that?”

_It’s not gonna do much, but yes_ , Abby replied mentally but approached the girl anyway, putting her backpack on the floor near the couch. Pointing at the shirt Yara had taken off, she asked the boy to cut it into strips and then she crouched next to Yara “Lean back.”

“Okay.” Yara did what Abby told her to, leaning on a pillow until she was laying down on the couch. Up close, Abby could see the shallow but clear scars on each side of the girl’s face, starting on the corners of her mouth and then running upwards onto the cheeks. _How fucked up you have to be to do that to kids?_ The blonde mused for a second before focusing again on the task in front of her.

“I’m gonna move it, okay?” She said, carefully taking the girl’s arm on her hands and placing it on the couch next to the girl’s body. It was warm even though they had just gotten out of the rain outside, and Abby knew that wasn’t a good sign “You ready?” She asked and waited until Yara nodded once to finally snap the girl’s arm in place, doing the best she could at that point.

Yara groaned and breathed heavily through her clenched teeth, handling things much better than Abby had imagined. _Tough kid, once again_. Looking around the room for something to keep the arm in place, Abby reached over to a chair next to a desk and broke one of its legs, grabbing the small piece of wood and placing it under the girl’s arm. Lev handed her the pieces of cloth and Abby started to make an improvised sling.

“Okay… Almost done.” She reassured Yara again and started to tie the cloth carefully around the arm, making sure not to hurt her even more. Abby could sense the girl’s eyes on her as she finished the task, as if she wanted to say something.

When she was done, she looked up and Yara finally said what was on her mind “What’s your name?”

The blonde blinked a couple of times, definitely not expecting that question “Abby.” She breathed out, not sure if she should really give them any sort of information. Not that it really mattered anyway.

Getting to her feet, Abby looked at Lev and then at Yara one last time “Thanks for cutting me down.” She said, grabbing her backpack from the floor and heading to the door. She needed to get out of there immediately.

Abby unlocked the door, but before she could go, she bit her lip and turned around, looking at the boy who was ready to close the door “This area gets a lot of traffic. Whatever shape she’s in, you need to get out of here by tomorrow.” She warned him, not really sure why. _They saved me after all, so it’s the least I can do, right?_

Lev stared at her for a couple of seconds “We’ll be fine.” And with that he closed the door.

_Yeah, of course. They’ll be fine. This is not my problem_. Abby shook her head and climbed down the steps that led to the entrance of the trailer. She already had a ton of problems to deal with and the last thing she needed was to worry about two runaway kids. And Scar kids, to make matters worse. Bigger things were at stake, Abby knew that. She was going to the Aquarium, hopefully find Owen there, and then head over to the FOB to set everything straight with Isaac. _I hope it’s not too late_.

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Being so close to the shore, it wasn’t so hard to find the Aquarium. Abby followed the Ferris Wheel in the distance and, even though it was a foggy and rainy night, she managed to find her way to it. She couldn’t see a single light coming from inside as she approached the front door, but Abby tried not to get worried about it, since Owen probably didn’t want anyone to think somebody was inside. Going for the door and seeing it was locked, the blonde pounded it a couple of times with her fist.

“Owen?” She called out and knocked a few more times, not getting any sort of response “Owen!” _Shit_. _He must be in the back somewhere. He’s gotta be_.

With that in mind, Abby started to go around the Aquarium, heading for the back doors; the place was huge and she was sure she would find a way to get in. Climbing over the fence in the back, Abby tried the door of the maintenance area, but found it locked as well. _Alright, maybe through the roof_? The blonde looked up, noticing it wasn’t that high, and that she could use the large pipes connected to one of the walls to reach the top. Doing exactly that, Abby climbed on the roof and looked for another way in; on the ground, next to one of the air conditioner’s exits, there was a glass panel that definitely seemed breakable. _I hope he doesn’t gimme shit about this glass_ , Abby thought as she grabbed a brick nearby and slammed onto the panel, shattering it into tiny little pieces.

Climbing down, Abby found herself into the kitchen area, where there was a table, a few chairs and a bunch of other junk. Heading to the next room, Abby quickly recognized Owen’s backpack on one of the couches. _I knew you would be here_ , the blonde smiled to herself, only for her face to frown again when she noticed a bloody shirt discarded next to the bag. _Something’s wrong_.

“Owen?” Abby called out again, heading to the double doors that led to the main area of the Aquarium.

She looked around the big rounded room, the only light coming from her flashlight and a floor lamp next to the stairs, meaning the generator as on.

Thinking he could be upstairs, Abby went to the flight of stairs, calling out his name once more “Owen! Where are you, goddammit!” She tried to doors on that floor but they were locked as well.

Worried, but now also annoyed, Abby headed downstairs again. _I can’t believe he left with the boat, he wouldn’t do that_. Before she could check the back area where the boat was, the blonde decided to check the other door on the lobby, the one that had _Max’s Place_ written on it, and much to her surprise, it was open.

“Owen?” Abby called out, stepping into the room. Everything was quiet and pretty much the same as it was when she saw it for the first time all those years ago “Owen, are you down there?” She looked down the elevator shaft, knowing there was a chance he could be on the lower area where the fish tanks were.

Having no option but to check it, Abby climbed down the steps of the leader inside the shaft and when she reached the bottom, she started to hear a faint sound echoing through the small corridor. _Is that…music?_ Intrigued by it, Abby got out of the elevator shaft and followed the source of the sound to the rounded tank to the left.

The first thing she saw was a lamp on an end table, illuminating the tank as the reflection of the water created moving shadows all over the place. Then, she noticed Owen sitting on the floor, his back resting on a couch as a radio on a coffee table in front of him played some folk music. Abby sighed and walked the rest of the way into the tank.

Owen looked up, taking a sip from the mug on his hand, and Abby figured he was drinking his homemade brew. Before she could say anything, he gave her a lazy, tipsy smile and stared at her “That’s fucking cruel…” He laughed, shaking his head “Isaac sends you after me.”

“He didn’t.” She replied, approaching the coffee table and turning the radio off “Nice touch you gave to this place.”

Owen looked around and shrugged, slowly getting up just so he could sit down on the couch properly “Thought it needed to look cozy.”

“Right.” Abby sighed again and took off her backpack, settling it on the floor as she felt her shoulders feel lighter.

“Want some?” Owen raised his mug, offering her some booze, but the last thing Abby needed was to have her mind clouded by alcohol. Not to mention his brew tasted awful.

“Pass.” She said, sitting down on the coffee table in front of him “So…” The blonde licked her lips and finally talked about the elephant in the room “Danny’s dead.”

Owen didn’t seem surprised by that fact and simply took another sip of his booze “Figured.”

“You wanna tell me what happened?” Abby asked, knowing there was definitely more to it than the version Isaac told her.

“Does it even matter?” He stared at his own hands, a look of defeat crossing his face.

“Owen.” Abby tried again “Please.”

He raised his gaze to her once more then “We were making a sweep around the area. There had been some Scars sightings and we were told just to make sure everything was clear before the attack.” Owen continued “Danny was being his stupid, annoying ass self, so I suggested that we both split up so we could cover more ground faster and get back as soon as possible.”

Abby listened closely to Owen’s story, trying to understand where everything went wrong.

“I headed towards a couple of buildings, going through the alleyways, and then I heard someone scream not too far from where I was. Pulling out my gun, I… I ran towards the sound and when I turned left, I spotted a Scar with his brown hood up. But he wasn’t alone, he… He was on top of a young girl, tying her up with a rope as she screamed and struggled to get out of his grasp.” Owen frowned, probably seeing the scene on repeat in his head “And there was another kid a few feet away, holding on to his face as if he had been hurt by the guy as well.”

Abby stopped breathing for a few seconds as she processed what Owen had said. _Two kids? He can’t be talking about them_. Not wanting to interrupt her friend, Abby simply swallowed hard and let Owen finish.

“But the weirdest thing was that the kids were Scars too, so why was the guy hurting them? I questioned him, but he went for his gun, so I just shot him before he could do anything. Then the kid ran over to the girl and started to untie her. They seemed scared and, and… I wanted to talk to them and understand what was going on, but the gunshot must have gotten Danny’s attention, because he showed up right behind me just when the kids ran away into the woods.”

Realization started to sink in as Abby heard the rest of the story. _He’s definitely talking about the same kids I met_. _How the hell is that possible_?

“Danny suddenly starts to yell at my face, questioning why I hadn’t shot the kids as well, why I let them get away…” Owen huffed, shaking his head “Then he said we should go after them… But I said I wouldn’t do that, he could go by himself if he wanted. Suddenly he points his fucking gun at me and calls me a traitor.” Owen looked at Abby, indignation all over his face “So I grabbed it and we fought and…” Owen sighed, taking another sip of his drink “I believe you know the rest of it.”

Abby rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands and got up from her seat “It wasn’t your fault. You defended yourself.” She paced around the room, needing to keep herself busy.

“Abby, don’t…” Owen started to say.

“I can fix this.” The blonde knew Isaac would give her a chance to explain everything “I’ll talk to Isaac-”

“Abby, stop it!” Owen didn’t let her finish “I’m done with this shit. Done with Isaac, done with his fucking suicide plan to attack the island…” He leaned over to the coffee table and set his mug on it “Screw all this. I’m going to Santa Barbara and I’m taking whoever wants to go from our crew. Including you.”

The blonde huffed a dry laugh, pinching the bridge of her nose “We’ve talked about this before. I’m not going to Santa Barbara, but I’ll be happy to cover for you and our friends when you decide to go.”

“Why not?” Owen got up from his seat on the couch “What’s keeping you from leaving this fucking place?”

“First of all, I’m not chasing a stupid rumor about the Fireflies regrouping somewhere else. They’re gone.” Abby retorted in a sharp tone “Plus, I’m needed in the attack, you know Isaac-”

“Fuck Isaac!” Owen didn’t let her finish again “Abby, listen to me.” He took a few steps towards her so he could look her right in the eye “You don’t owe him a fucking thing, okay? Nothing! No matter what he says, do you hear me? Don’t let him control you.”

Abby stared at Owen, jaw locked as she went over his words. He wasn’t wrong, far from it actually, but it wasn’t like she was going to admit that. Besides, she needed to go back anyway and handle the whole Tommy Miller situation.

“I’m heading back. I’ll let Mel and the others know you’re okay and where to find you if they really wanna leave the city.” Abby said and Owen simply took a step back, arms crossed over his chest as he watched her in silence.

Guessing he wouldn’t say anything else, Abby reached over for her bag, taking her jacket out. It was still humid from the rain, but it would have to do. As she opened the zipper, Owen decided to break the silence.

“So after everything you did these last few years, you’re just gonna walk straight into your death three days from now.” Abby stopped what she was doing and turned around to look at Owen.

“What the hell does that mean?” She put her jacket aside on the couch and waited for his answer.

“You tell me.” He said, unfolding his arms “You gave up on me, gave up on yourself even to get what you wanted and you finally got it. Joel’s dead, he payed for what he did, and now you have a chance to start over and it seems you’re just wasting it away.”

Abby scoffed, not really believing he was going there “Well, sorry if I have bigger things to worry about.”

“Yeah? Like what, Abby? Tell me.” Owen gestured with his chin towards her “You’re busy being Isaac’s super soldier, slaying Scars left and right with your big guns, huh? Waiting for a pat in the back and a ‘good job’ afterwards?”

Abby bit the inside of her cheeks, trying to calm herself down “You’re drunk, Owen, you don’t know what you’re talking about.” She said more to herself than to her friend.

“Sure, blame it on the booze. It’s much easier than just admitting that I’m right for once, huh?” Owen pushed her again with his words and that was it for the blonde woman.

“You know what?” Abby walked over to him “I’m coming back because Tommy fucking Miller is tied in the back of Jordan’s truck and I need to handle that shit.”

A flash of confusion ran through Owen’s face and he blinked a couple of times “What?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Somehow he followed me all the way back here. And there’s more.” Abby waited a few seconds before she could continue “He killed Nick.” Owen frowned at her words, suddenly sobering up.

“I… Shit, that’s… That’s insane.” Owen seemed to be having a hard time believing it, but Abby had had enough.

“So yeah, I’m heading back so I can fix that fucking mess before Isaac finds out about it.” The blonde stepped away from Owen, heading over to her stuff.

“Wait, Abby.” Owen touched her arm before she could reach for her backpack “Hold on, we can think of something together, I can help you.”

“No, you can’t.” She looked up as Owen hovered over her, being a couple of inches taller “Just focus on your boat so you can get out of here.”

“I’m not going without you.” He said softly, his blue eyes meeting hers.

But Abby just shook her head with a deep sigh “Owen, don’t do this.”

She felt his hand slowly releasing her arm, but then he looked down and slipped it over to her right hand “What happened?” Owen asked, gently turning it around so he could take a look at the purple circle around her wrist.

“It’s nothing.” She tried to pull her hand away, but Owen was already examining the other one, seeing the same thing.

“Who did this to you? Abby.” Owen looked at her with worried eyes but she just tried to dismiss him.

“I told you, it’s nothing, I-” The words died in the blonde’s mouth when Owen reached out his other hand to touch her neck.

“Your neck.” He whispered, resting his hand on her nape as his thumb ran over the purple circle around it.

Abby felt her breathing get shallow, not being used to having him so close to her like that, not anymore. Not taking his eyes off of hers, Owen moved his hand a bit so he could caress her chin and then her lips.

“Abby…” He whispered again, pulling her slightly closer to him, just enough to make Abby feel the heat coming from his body.

The blonde knew she could just turn around, grab her bag and leave, her mind was screaming at her to just do it, but at the same time, she could really use some relief, anything to be honest after the hellish last few hours, and Owen was more than willing to give her that.

So when he finally leaned down to capture her lips, Abby grabbed him by his shirt and kissed him back.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> If you're enjoying the story so far, please let me know your thoughts on the comments below, it's much appreaciated. You can also hit me up on tumblr - those who did even got a couple of spoilers out of me 👀
> 
> So Day 2 starts next chapter and it will bring a lot of surprises that I can't wait to share with you.
> 
> See you next week then. Stay safe and take care!
> 
> xx


	19. Crossfire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!
> 
> First, thank you all so much for the support you've been giving this story, it means a lot to me <3
> 
> Second, we finally start Day 2 with this chapter, so I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Thanks again for being awesome!
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 019 – Crossfire**

**Ellie – Seattle Day 2**

A distance voice was echoing around the room and Ellie sighed, slightly shifting on her seat; the girl was still asleep, her head resting on her right arm just next to the radio.

_“…calling out all…has been spotted…Isaac wants…_ ” The words were coming out in bits and pieces over the radio, the static and white noise cutting most of them.

Ellie groaned, slowly waking up from her slumber, and rubbed one of her eyes with the back of her left hand. When the person on the radio spoke again, the girl sat up straight, almost knocking herself off the chair and then realizing where she was.

“Oh fuck.” She cursed, quickly reaching out for the radio and trying to tune in the channel better.

“ _I repeat, this is Two calling out all units nearby Hillcrest._ ” The voice finally came out clean and Ellie listened to it carefully “ _A lone male trespasser has been spotted causing havoc in the area and getting the attention of Scars. Isaac wants the situation neutralized. Do you copy?_ ”

Ellie frowned, letting the information sink in. _A lone male trespasser? That’s gotta be Tommy_. She didn’t know how, but Tommy must have escaped and was probably being chased by the Wolves and whoever those Scars were. If they were the people responsible for the massacre at the TV station, then he could be even more in trouble. Suddenly wide awake, Ellie looked at the map hanged on the wall in front of her and searched for the area the person on the radio had mentioned. _Hillcrest_. Her eyes scanned the map until they landed on a northern area that seemed to be a suburban neighborhood on the highest part of the city.

_Alright then_.

The girl grabbed her backpack from the floor, retrieving her own map from inside to mark the directions in it; it wasn’t that far away, but she didn’t know what kind of things she could face along the way. Eager to get moving, Ellie got up and turned off the radio, but halfway through putting her bag over her shoulders, her stomach grumbled loudly, reminding the girl she hasn’t eaten in a while. _Shit_.

Opening her bag again, Ellie considered her options; her water bottle was half empty already, but she still had a few pieces of beef jerky wrapped around a cloth. Unfortunately, mostly of the supplies she and Tommy had taken for the trip were stored in the small pouches on the side of his motorcycle, which meant she would have to ration what was left since she didn’t know how much longer she would stay in the city. At least she still had the small package Dina had given her before she left Jackson, it would definitely get her through another day or so.

After eating the meat and taking a swig from her water bottle, Ellie headed down to the first floor of the theater. The place was still quiet and she thought it could work as a hideout if she and Tommy needed somewhere to lay low; plus, the radio could help them get more information about the WLF routes. With that in mind, she removed the chair that was blocking the door and headed out, this time using the same chair to block from the outside, hoping no one would notice.

Taking one last look at her map, the girl made her way towards Hillcrest.

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Much to Ellie’s surprise, the path to the neighborhood was fairly uneventful and rather sooner than later, she found herself approaching the hilly suburban area. She was trying to keep out of the main roads, sticking to the ones that were partly blocked or destroyed by the bombings; that way it would be harder to run into one of the WLF trucks.

The girl kept moving forward, scavenging anything useful from inside the abandoned local stores around the vicinity, but not straying too far from her path since there could be infected around. A few minutes later, Ellie reached a road intersection completely blocked by debris and a couple of cars and vans tumbled over; luckily she found a way to climb on top of the van using some of the rocks, carefully not to slip since everything was still wet from the rain the night before.

As soon as she looked up though, some gunshots echoed in the distance and Ellie ducked down immediately, keeping her head down as she went prone on the van. Less than a minute later, she heard tires screeching on the asphalt and, upon looking at her right, she saw a truck going up the street at full speed with at least four armed Wolves in it. _Fuck_ , she cursed, and waited for them to disappear from her eye sight. _At least I know I’m going the right way_.

Quietly and keeping an eye on her surroundings, Ellie followed the truck up the hill and into the suburban area. The green vegetation was more than overgrown, covering part of the houses and wooden fences, and even though Ellie could use the tall grass to her advantage, it also meant she couldn’t see too much ahead of her. But upon reaching the next block, she heard voices and what seemed to be an animal panting. _Oh no… Dogs_.

“Search everywhere for him. And keep an eye out for Scars, all the gunshot certainly alerted them to this position.” Ellie heard someone say as she kept herself hidden behind one of the houses, trying to think of a way to get past them.

She moved slowly towards their opposite direction, using some cars in the street as cover, and then entered one of the houses through a hole on the wall. Ellie could hear footsteps not very far away from her, so she remained crouched, getting past the kitchen and heading towards the backyard. _Fuck, everything looks the same_ , the girl mused as she moved through the tall grass, not really knowing where one block ended and the other started, the houses being pretty much close to one another and similar in shape and design. _Where are you, Tommy_?

Suddenly, there was a low growl coming from her left and Ellie froze in place, holding her breath.

“What is it, boy? You got something?” One of the Wolves said, and Ellie knew she needed to run.

Before she could take the initiative though, the girl heard quick thuds on the soft grass approach her in the matter of seconds and as she looked up, she saw a big German Shepherd bare its teeth at her, growling and ready to attack.

“Oh fuck.” Without thinking twice, Ellie went with her instinct and started to run as the Wolves shouted in her direction.

With a wild dog on her tail, Ellie ran past the houses and backyards as some Wolves tried to shoot her, shouting commands to one another. Since the neighborhood was settled on the hills, the terrene was steep and uneven, and after jumping over a fence, Ellie found herself on top of the roof of one of the houses; at first, Ellie managed to balance herself on the tiles but, suddenly, a loud explosion not too far away from where she was caused her surroundings to tremble, and Ellie slipped, her back hitting the tiles as she skidded down, falling on the balcony.

_Fuck_ , she cursed, getting up and checking her bloody elbows. Upon looking up, Ellie saw a large cloud of black smoke coming from behind the houses and trees a few miles away, and then a cacophony of gunshots and distant shouts. _Shit. If they’re not shooting at me, then it must be at Tommy_.

Having lost the ones chasing her for the time being, Ellie dropped down from the balcony onto the grass and headed towards the explosion site, being more careful this time since she didn’t know what had caused it. She cut through another abandoned house and managed to reach the other side after squeezing herself through a small gap under the garage door; now in the backyard, the gunshots were even louder, and she wondered what the hell was happening.

Carefully, Ellie hopped over the fence and landed on the other side, quickly making her way over to the first thing she could use as cover. Standing behind a large tree on the sidewalk, the girl watched as two hooded figures stood behind a car in the middle of the street, shooting relentlessly at a few Wolves who were taking cover on the second floor of a house. Ellie recognized the brown hoods from one of the dead bodies she had seen back at the TV station and guessed those were the Scar people the voice on the radio had mentioned. _I hope Tommy didn’t get caught up in this crossfire_.

Keeping her head low, Ellie sneaked past to the side of another house, maintaining her back to it, and peaked around the corner. In the distance, she could see a burned down WLF truck, which seemed to be the cause of the explosion; the smoke was still spreading across the vicinity, so she couldn’t see if there was someone close to it. Trying to circle the area, Ellie moved further down the back of the houses but just as she was about to make a run for the other street, a Wolf’s body simply fell right in front of her, with a machete stuck to his chest. Ellie looked to her right and saw one of those hooded people make her way towards her at full speed. _You’ve got to be kidding me_.

Before Ellie could grab her pistol, the hooded man launched himself at her, tackling both of them down a slope Ellie hadn’t realized was a few feet away to her left side until they landed on the street down below. Despite the fall, the man kept his grip on Ellie and tried to pin her to the ground; the girl punched him once and then hit him with her knee, causing him to falter a bit. With that, Ellie reached for her back pocket, grabbing her jackknife, and sunk it onto the hooded guy’s neck, twisting the blade a little before pulling it out. His eyes went wide as he raised his hands to the wound, blood splatting everywhere, and Ellie simply pushed him off of her, quickly trying to get on her feet.

As she got up and looked around, an engine rumble followed by loud tire screeches started coming from up the street, and before she knew it, a truck made a sharp curve and headed her way at full speed. With no time to catch her breath, Ellie dived onto the grass as far away as she could from the road, falling prone to the ground and already moving her body so she could grab her pistol and aim at the driver. But, as the truck suddenly came to a halt, its tires leaving dark marks on the asphalt, a very familiar face stuck out of the driver’s window, making Ellie’s finger freeze on the trigger of her gun.

“Jesse?” She blinked a couple of times, not really believing her own eyes.

“Get in the truck! Now!” a clearly disheveled Jesse shouted in a hurry.

“What- What are you doing here?” Ellie lowered her gun, still frowning.

“I’ll explain it later, just get in before more of them show up!” He shouted again and just like that, another truck showed up from where Jesse had come from, heading in their direction.

Finally getting out of her haze, Ellie ran over to Jesse’s truck and got into the passenger’s seat just as a burst of bullets hit the car’s bodyworks “Fuck!” She breathed out, ducking her head a bit.

“Get ready to shoot.” And with that, Jesse yanked the car up the road, speeding up as fast as he could.

Still shocked by the quick turn of events, Ellie stared at her friend, who had a small cut on his eyebrow and looked like he had gone through a rough time “How the fuck did you get here?” She sort of yelled at him without actually wanting to.

“I’ll explain that later. They’re catching up.” Jesse pointed with his chin to the rearview mirror as he tried his best to keep the truck on the track ahead of him.

Right behind them, another truck with a couple of Wolves was getting closer and closer, and Ellie saw one of the guys lean out of the window seat, trying to get a good angle on them. All the bullets were ricocheting though, since both vehicles were shaking on the uneven ground.

“Fuck!” Ellie got her pistol ready and shot back a few times as well, hitting the windshield and making the other guy get back into the car.

“See if you can get the driver!” Jesse shouted, leaning the truck slightly to the left so Ellie could get an angle.

Ellie tried a few more times, almost emptying her clip, but backed away when the Wolf hit the rearview on her side, making the glass break into a million pieces “This won’t do, I’ll run out of bullets!”

The WLF truck was catching up to them just when the road ahead was funneling into a slim passage through the dense woods, maybe big enough to fit a small car “Okay, you better hold on.”

“What?” Ellie questioned upon seeing a bunch of tree trunks and rocks in front of them “We’re going crash!”

“Just trust me.” With that, Jesse sunk his feet on the accelerator as much as he could, pushing the truck forward with everything it got.

Ellie raised her arm to protect her face as a bunch of tree branches and leaves hit both sides of the truck and, despite her dire situation, Ellie heard a loud crash coming from behind them, as if something had hit a rock. The girl didn’t have time to think about it though, because the road came to a sudden end just as Jesse yelled at her to hold her breath.

A few seconds later, Ellie felt the truck fly midair before finally collapsing on a body of water. As it started to sink down into the river, she watched as Jesse maneuvered his body so he could get out through the driver’s window, reaching out his hand for her. The girl took it and Jesse used one of the doors as leverage to impulse them further up. Quickly, both of them emerged, drawing out long breaths, and then swam to the side of the river.

“I think we’re clear.” Ellie breathed out, leaning on one of her arms beside Jesse, who was also catching his breath as he lay on the ground.

“Yeah… I think so.” Jesse then sat down, pushing his wet bangs out of his face, and looked at Ellie “Where’s Tommy?”

Ellie stared at her friend, her mouth opening and closing a couple of times as she struggled with the right words.

“Ellie.” Jesse tried again, his voice coming out in a serious tone.

“He’s…” Ellie started and then sighed heavily “Fuck. He was captured.”

Jesse suddenly got up, holding slightly to his left leg “What?”

“Just…” The girl stood up as well, her body feeling heavy since she was completely drenched “Can we not talk about this out in the open? Let’s go to a safe place.” Before Jesse could open his mouth to argue, Ellie continued on “I’ll tell you everything, let’s just get out of here first.”

Jesse stared at her for a few more seconds before nodding “Okay. Lead the way then, if there’s really a safe place in this goddamn city.” He huffed, looking around.

“Just follow me, it’s not that far. Are you hurt?” Ellie pointed with her chin to his leg.

“Nah, I’m fine, just pulled a muscle or something. Let’s go.”

With that, Ellie and Jesse made their way back to the Pinnacle Theater, keeping their guard up since the Wolves could still be around looking for them. Thankfully, they managed to reach the theater without crossing with anyone other than some infected roaming around.

Seeing that the door was still the same way she had left it, Ellie opened it quickly, making sure no one else was around the vicinity. Jesse followed her inside, and then the girl closed the door again behind her. Turning back, she watched as Jesse collapsed on one of the couches, keeping his leg spread out in front of him.

“So…” He started, taking his backpack off his shoulders and putting it on the floor “What were you saying about Tommy?”

Ellie then grabbed one of the chairs nearby and sat it near Jesse in order to tell him everything that happened since she and Tommy arrived in the city. Jesse listened to her with a frowned expression and Ellie knew he was probably thinking of something to do.

“And you have no idea where they might’ve taken him?” he asked once she was done.

“No, no yet.” She admitted “I found a radio here yesterday, I’ve been trying to listen in for some sort of lead or something.” Jesse nodded at her words and then the girl continued “And what are you doing here? How the hell did Maria let you out?”

“She doesn’t know. Well, she probably does by now, but it doesn’t matter.” He explained “After you two left, Dina was pretty much set on going after you guys, but I couldn’t let her do it. So I promised her I would come and help you.”

Ellie shook her head, lowering her gaze “You shouldn’t have done that.” While she was glad to know Jesse didn’t let Dina risk her life and the baby’s, she also wanted to yell at him for coming after them.

“Who woulda’ve saved your ass back there, then?” Jesse replied and Ellie saw a teasing smile on the corner of his lips when she looked up again “Hey, don’t worry about it. My friend’s problems are my problems.”

Ellie couldn’t help but smile a little at his cheesy words “You’re an idiot.”

After talking some more about their current situation, Jesse grabbed some supplies from his bag and shared them with Ellie when she told him she was running low on them, especially drinkable water.

“What about the killers? Anything other than what you found out at the hotel?” Jesse asked, taking the last bite of his sandwich.

“Um, actually, yeah.” Ellie replied and cleaned some bread crumbs from her jeans before getting up from her seat “Let’s head upstairs, I wanna show you something.”

“Okay.” Jesse got up as well, grunting a bit because of his sore leg.

Taking her backpack, Ellie led him to the projector room on the second floor, where the radio was.

“Nice set up.” He mentioned as he looked around, taking the chair the girl offered him.

“It musta’ve been an old FEDRA outpost or something.” She said, putting her bag on the floor and retrieving the polaroid pictures from inside “Here, take a look at this.”

Ellie then placed two pictures on the table and pointed at the people on them “These are the people Tommy said that were in the chalet.” She explained, her eyes burning down as she looked at their faces again “Manny… Nora…” She moved her finger until it stopped on a blonde woman “And this is her. The one who killed him. Abby.”

Jesse examined the pictures and then she felt his eyes on her “How did you find this?”

Ellie finally looked away from the photos and turned to her friend “Found a bunch of dead Wolves on one of their outposts. Probably killed by those Scar people or whatever. This girl here, Leah…” Ellie went over to the rest of the pictures and showed the one with the chick from the TV station to Jesse “I found the pictures in her bag and apparently she’s also connected to the guy who took Tommy.” She pointed at a guy wearing a cap on another picture.

“And the guy you talked about, Isaac, their leader… Is he here?” Jesse was still looking at the pictures.

“No, I don’t think so.” She replied.

“So you think he was the one responsible for it?” Jesse asked, trying to understand the situation better “The one who sent them after Joel?”

“Maybe… From what I’ve heard, the Wolves seem to respect him, or at least fear him enough to do everything he asks for.” Ellie explained “But I still don’t know what his connection to Joel is. Tommy said they’ve never been this far West.”

“Well, either way… We should find Tommy first. We don’t know how long they might keep him alive for.” Jesse turned on the radio and started to go through the channels, trying to find an active one “Have you heard something about a main base or… Or maybe a place where they take the prisoners?”

“Not yet.” Ellie grabbed her old map from inside her bag “The guy in the hotel said they have outposts all over the city, so I’ve been following the leads I get through the radio.”

“Let’s keep trying then.” Jesse focused again on the it while Ellie got a pencil from her bag as well.

Leaning over the desk, she marked down on the bigger map on the wall all the places she had been so far, trying to see if she could find some sort of pattern or correlation. She still hadn’t been to places like the stadium, the conference center and the aquarium, which all seemed likely to be outposts or bases. But it’s not like she could just go and check them out one by one; even with Jesse, it would take them way too long and the city was a minefield, not to mention that they could alert Abby and her friends, and Ellie wanted to take them by surprise, just like they did it at Jackson.

After almost an hour listening to the radio, catching only some random conversation or simply static, Jesse got Ellie’s attention when a woman’s voice echoed through the speakers “Ellie, here.”

_“…this is…sending word…_ ” Ellie and Jesse both stood in silence as the transmission cut out for a few seconds, but stabilizing right after “ _Units Congo and Cairo will provide the securement. I repeat, this is Two sending word out. We’re clearing out the hospital this afternoon, starting at 1. Nora will be in charge of the inventory. Nothing stays behind. Isaac’s orders. Units Congo and Cairo will provide the securement. Two over and out._ ”

_Nora_. Ellie immediately grabbed the photo and looked at the woman in question, posing beside Abby, and then raised her gaze to meet Jesse’s “It’s her.”

“Which hospital? That one?” Jesse pointed at the map on the wall.

Ellie looked at it again and circled the spot with her pen “Lakehill Seattle Hospital. It must be it.” With that, the girl quickly grabbed her backpack from the floor and put it on her shoulders.

“Wait, you’re going now?” Jesse got up from his seat, reaching for his leg in an unconscious movement. Since the adrenaline was over and his blood had cooled down, he must have been feeling the real effects of his injury.

“Yeah, I don’t know how long she’ll stay there, so I gotta move fast.” Ellie licked her lips and then pointed at the polaroid picture “She’s definitely the person I need in order to get to Abby, I can’t miss this chance.”

“I’m going with you.” Jesse stated, but Ellie was quick to shake her head no.

“You should stay here. Rest that leg for a few hours and keep an eye out on the radio. This is the second transmission I hear that’s coming from Two, so it might be where their base is.” She explained.

“This is a bad idea. We should stick together-” Jesse tried to reason with the girl, but Ellie had her mind set.

“I know, but right now it’ll be faster if I just go by myself while you watch over the radio. I’m gonna find Nora, get her to tell me where Abby is and then I’m gonna come back here so we can figure out what to do.” The words left Ellie’s mouth with certain urgency, as she was eager to just follow the new lead.

“Then find Tommy, you mean.” He looked at her like it was the most obvious thing.

“Yeah, of course. Find Tommy.” Ellie replied, not knowing why Jesse said it like that. Of course she was going to find him. “I’m heading out then. Barricade the door with a chair after I leave.”

“Sure.” Ellie heard Jesse reply with a sigh as she left the projector room.

She just needed to get to the hospital, then she would be one step closer to finding Abby.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> Please, if you're enjoying the story so far, please consider leaving a comment down below, it's much appreaciated.
> 
> Oh, just a quick update on my posting schedule: instead of being every Sunday, I'm just gonna post once every 7 or 10 days, so the next chapter should be up until next Friday or something. Hopefully i'll be able to update more often in the future.
> 
> I'll see you guys soon, stay safe and take care!
> 
> xx


	20. No Way Back

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi, everyone!
> 
> Thank you all so much for the huge support you've been giving this story, it means a lot to me <3
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, we're getting closer and closer to the hospital, and I can't wait to share that part with you.
> 
> See you!
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 020 – No Way Back**

**Abby – Seattle Day 2**

_Everything was the same; the long hallway, illuminated only by the emergency lights, casting reddish shadows as they spun around, the pediatrics door slightly ajar in the end of it, the pistol on the girl’s hand as she slowly made her way forward…_

_But Abby noticed something that wasn’t there before. It was raining. She could hear the heavy sound of rain drops hitting the rooftop and water running, but when she looked at the windows, there was nothing outside. Confused, Abby kept moving towards the door in the far end of the hallway, knowing it was the only way to get out of that place. She would see her father lying dead on the floor, or some sort of fucked up version of Joel that her mind had created, mixed with the image of how she had left him in the chalet. The girl dreaded that moment and her boots felt heavy with each step that she took, but there wasn’t any other way; she needed to wake up._

_When the blonde approached the door, she noticed the sound of the rain had increased and it seemed like it was pouring heavily inside the operation room. As Abby crossed the threshold, her feet touched something wet on the floor and she backed away a bit, looking down; but, instead of blood leaking from behind the door, like countless times before, it was actually water this time. Not really understanding what was going on, Abby raised her eyes to the door in front of her and reached for the doorknob, turning it slowly. When she opened it, the girl felt a burst of wind rush over her face as the air around her filled up with a muddy and wooden smell; out of nowhere, the operation room had given place to a dark forest with a small clearing in the middle, the only source of light coming from the moonlight peeking through the tree tops._

_“What is this?” Abby looked around, her clothes soaking wet as the rain washed over her “Dad?”_

_Then, something bumped into the girl’s back and she turned around quickly, ready to face whoever it was. What she wasn’t expecting to see, though, was the body of two teenagers hanging from a tree by their necks, with blood coming out of their mouths and eyes, not to mention the huge gash on their stomachs, which caused their guts to spill out like sausages. Abby gasped and took a few steps backwards until her back hit a tree trunk; she knew them, she knew those kids. Suddenly, Abby felt something go around her neck and before she could do anything about it, her body was pulled up to the tree above her._

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Abby’s eyes shot open and she stared at the ceiling for a few seconds before realizing everything had been just a nightmare. Her breathing was coming out in short bursts and she looked around, noticing that Owen had one of his arms wrapped around her waist and a thin blanket covered their naked bodies. _Shit_. The blonde briefly closed her eyes again to calm herself down and then, carefully not to wake him up, Abby moved Owen’s arm to the side and sat up, her hand going straight to her sore neck; she could still feel the muscles strained due to the rope pressure from the night before and that made her think of the kids again. _I wonder if they made it thought the night_.

With a heavy sigh, she got up and started to gather her clothes, completely ignoring the man still sleeping on the floor; knowing him, Abby knew that Owen would want to have some sort of conversation or whatever and she couldn’t handle that right now. In fact, she didn’t want to talk about it at all.

Once she was fully dressed, the blonde put on her jacket and grabbed her bag, going up to the first floor. She could feel the chilly morning air in the main area of the Aquarium, which meant it was still early and she could be back at the FOB in just a couple of hours if she didn’t run into any trouble. Or, she could go and check on the kids first. _No, I can’t_. Abby argued with herself as she stepped outside, closing one of the back doors behind her that could only be locked from the inside. _I can’t do this, they’re Scars_. The girl knew Manny and Jordan were waiting for her to get back so they could deal with the whole Tommy Miller problem and that it was just a matter of time before Isaac noticed that she had gone missing, but… But she just needed to check on the kids once more before going back. They had literally saved her life and Abby felt like the least she could do was to see if they were okay. It definitely sounded like a bad decision, but considering that the past few hours had been a compilation of them, one more wouldn’t hurt.

Abby then headed towards the huge crane that she could see in the distance, where the containers were piled in a large patio, which was pretty close to where she had left the kids. She didn’t know why she was letting herself worry so much about them anyway; for what it was worth, they couldn’t even be there anymore. The two of them were clearly on the run and since they were being hunted by both Wolves and Scars, staying in one place could be a death sentence. _The girl won’t get far with that arm though_ , Abby mused as she climbed down the remains of a broken bridge. Whatever they had done, it must have been pretty bad to have their own people turn against them.

And, speaking of Scars, the moment Abby got to the bottom of the bridge, she heard a loud whistle coming from the containers’ patio, which meant a patrol was around the area. Hiding behind one of the concrete walls, Abby took her pistol off its holster and waited a bit to see if she could spot someone.

“Spread out!” She heard a male voice shout from behind a container “The apostates were last seen in this area, so keep your eyes sharp!”

_Shit, they’re still after them_. Knowing she would have to get past the patrol to reach the trailers on the other side, Abby started to move forward, using some wood crates as cover. She could hear footsteps coming from at least three different directions, so she would need to do things quietly if she didn’t want to be spotted.

When one of the Scars started to make her way around a van, Abby rushed to go right behind the woman, grabbing her from behind and squeezing her neck hard until she heard it snap. Without wasting any time, Abby left the woman’s body fall on the ground behind the van and quickly moved to the side of one of the containers. Peeking through the corner, the blonde saw two more Scars scanning the area; one holding tightly to his bow while the other held a pistol. She backed away into the container and thought about waiting for them to go separate ways, but before she could think of another strategy, loud gunshots echoed not too far from there, and Abby saw the two Scars exchange a quick glance before running towards the direction of the sound.

Acting fast, the Wolf grabbed her shotgun and ran right after them. She shot the one closest to her on his legs, making the guy fall flat on his face, and when the other Scar turned around to check what was happening, Abby pumped her gun once more and fired in the middle of his chest, not giving him time to react. Looking around, she noticed the first Scar was crawling on the ground, trying to reach his bow that had fallen a couple of meters away from him. In a hurry, she simply shot him once in the head with her pistol and kept moving forward, going through a warehouse that connected the containers’ patio to the trailers.

As soon as she exited the building, Abby saw a dead Scar right in front of the trailer where she had left the kids the night before. _Oh, shit_. Climbing over the fence, the blonde made her way towards it, noticing how the front door was completely opened, with another dead body next to the stairs.

“Kid?” She called out, keeping her gun in hand as she approached the trailer carefully “You still there?”

Getting no response, Abby climbed the steps slowly, seeing how the dead Scar had been hit by an arrow on his neck. When she was going to peek into the trailer though, a gunshot ricocheted on one of the metal cabinets, making her back away again.

“Don’t come any closer!” Someone said from the other room and she knew it was the younger kid.

“It’s me!” She called back, waiting to see if he would recognize her.

A few seconds later, she heard muffled footsteps on the carpet, and when she looked inside again, Abby saw the kid lower a pistol, and judging by the shake on his hands, it wasn’t something he was used to holding.

“Sorry.” Lev finally said and looked at her. He had taken off his brown coat and was now wearing a beaten up button shirt.

Walking into the trailer, Abby pointed with her chin to the other room “How’s she?”

Lev simply lowered his gaze and moved to the side, giving the Wolf some space to get past him, and Abby headed to the small living room, suddenly feeling apprehensive about his sister’s condition. Yara was still there on the couch, leaning poorly against it with Lev’s coat covering her torso. The blonde approached her slowly, noticing how the girl was sweating and shivering slightly.

“Hey…” Abby said and pulled the coat off her so she could take a look on the girl’s arm. _Damn it_. It was definitely worse than before; even though she had put it back in place, Yara’s forearm was a bright red now and it seemed to have swollen over the night. Abby touched the girl’s forehead, which was burning up, and then pondered what her best options were. “I’m gonna move your arm, okay?” She asked, but Yara barely opened her eyes, whimpering in pain as Abby placed her arm gently closer to the girl’s body “Now lean into me.” With that, the blonde took Yara on her arms and started to head to the door.

“Where are you taking her?” Lev asked, standing by the door “What are you doing?”

_I don’t know_ , Abby thought, but she just couldn’t leave the girl to die there “If she stays here, she’ll die. I’m giving her a chance.”

Lev stared at her for a few seconds, but then just nodded and grabbed the rest of his stuff as Abby went out the door.

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The trip back to the Aquarium took a little longer than before, since Abby needed to move carefully so she wouldn’t hurt Yara more than the girl already was, but they made it into one piece, and the blonde got inside by the back door she had left unlocked.

“Owen!” She called out for her friend, hoping that he would recognize the kids as the ones who ran into him before and would be willing to help them again “Owen!”

Luckily, it didn’t take him long to answer and soon Abby heard a voice coming from the main area “I’m here.”

Owen showed up from around a corner, but stopped in his tracks when he looked at Abby “Are those…” He frowned, eyes alternating between the girl on Abby’s arms and the boy right behind her “Are those the Scar kids I told you about?”

Before Abby could open her mouth to say anything, Alice suddenly came up behind Owen and started to bark furiously in Abby’s direction, probably smelling the Scars. Owen was quick though, and grabbed the dog by her collar, holding her in place as she growled wildly at the kids.

“Alice, no!” He yelled and then turned to his friend “Abby, what the fuck?”

Abby saw the moment Lev pulled out his bow and aimed right at the dog “Put the bow down! It’s okay!” She yelled at the boy, but Alice kept on barking and growling, trying to break from Owen’s hold “Alice, stop it! Put the bow down, Lev!”

In the mix of all the shouting and yelling, another voice came from the back and made everything go quiet “Alice!” Mel approached her dog, and Alice suddenly went quiet; once Owen let her go, the dog moved to Mel’s side, but still kept her eyes on the kids.

Abby stared at the pregnant woman, surprised to see her there, but somehow glad since a doctor was exactly what she needed. “Lev, just put the bow down. It’s okay.” She said once she realized the boy still had an arrow locked in.

“Abby, who are these kids?” Mel asked as soon as the boy put his bow down.

There was a heavy tension in the space surrounding them and, glancing quickly at Owen, Abby thought about the right words to say “They saved my life.” She told her the truth and then continued “Can you take a look at her?”

Abby could see her friend hesitate a little, but then Mel took a few steps forward, keeping an eye out for Lev as she closed the distance. “This is Yara.” The blonde said once Mel was next to her.

Mel stared at the injured girl for a few seconds, then rose her gaze to meet Abby’s “What did this?” By the tone of her voice and the judging look on her face, Abby knew that Mel was actually asking if she had done that.

“A hammer.” She replied and then looked at Owen who was standing a few feet away before staring at Mel again “It wasn’t me.” She breathed out, not really sure if they believed her.

Mel looked at the girl on Abby’s arms again “Let’s lay her down.” She pointed towards the back room.

She and Owen went ahead and Abby followed them, giving Lev a quick nod to tell him it was okay. Mel cleared a metal bed that was probably used to treat the animals in the Aquarium back in the old days and asked Abby to settle the girl on it. The blonde did what she was told and then gave her friend some space, settling her backpack on the floor and moving to stand next to Owen and Alice as Lev remained next to his sister. After washing her hands, Mel removed the improvised sling that was supporting the girl’s broken arm and started to examine it.

“Can you feel this?” The young doctor asked, gently squeezing the skin of the girl’s forearm “Yara.”

The girl whimpered, but then shook her head “No.”

“I tried to reset it, but-” Abby was interrupted before she could finish her sentence.

“The bone’s shattered.” Mel said with a heavy sigh, looking at the boy and then at Abby “She has compartment syndrome.”

_Shit._

“Wh-What does that mean?” Lev asked, clearly confused as he stared at Mel.

Exchanging another look with the doctor, Abby took a step forward and answered the boy’s question “It means it has to come off.”

Lev frowned and shook his head “She’s a soldier. You can’t take her arm.”

“We leave it, it’ll turn gangrenous.” Mel explained, making it obvious that it wasn’t something up for debate.

Yara then groaned, breathing heavily “Just make it stop hurting. Please.” She said through gritted teeth.

“What do you need?” Abby turned to Mel.

“Ideally? A saw, sutures, clamps, antibiotics…” Mel listed the basics “But we’re far from ideal right now.”

“Well, we have knives. Fire.” Owen said from where he was standing, watching the kids with a keen eye “Cut and cauterize it.”

Abby was already shaking her head before he could finish “She would die from infection.” That sort of amputation was a last resort, and she knew she would find another option before having to rely on that “Make me a list.” The blonde turned to Mel again “I’ll go to the hospital and get what you need.”

“It’ll take you all day to get there…” Mel started.

“I don’t mind!” Abby was quick to reply.

“It’s not about you, Abby.” Mel emphasized “She doesn’t have a couple of days.”

It was Abby’s turn to sigh heavily as the room went quiet again. She knew Nora would still be at the hospital, so getting the supplies wouldn’t be a problem, but Yara’s condition was worse than she had imagined.

“What if I can get you there in two hours?” Lev broke the silence and all three pairs of eyes stared at him “The Wolf hospital, right? On the west side?”

Owen took a few steps forward, approaching the table “How?”

“We built bridges high up.” The boy explained “It’s how we get around the flooding and…” He looked around a bit hesitant “And you people.”

“Why were your own people attacking you?” Owen pressed on, but Abby knew that was definitely not the time to talk about it.

“Owen.” She warned him, hoping he would just keep his mouth shut for now, and then turned to Mel again “Can she handle two hours?”

The doctor looked at Yara once more “Probably, yeah.”

“So make the list.” Abby asked just as Owen started to speak again.

“Are you serious? Abby, those bridges are used by Scars.” He stated, like it was a strong argument to make her give up.

Lev reassured them “They only send small groups at a time.”

“Heard that? Small groups.” She said in defiance, suddenly annoyed at him.

“This isn’t a joke.” Owen insisted.

“It wasn’t a joke either when they saved me from hanging off a fucking tree last night.” She barked back “I’m doing this.” Not waiting for Owen to reply, Abby called out for Mel, who had gone to the back of the room “You done with that list?”

Mel turned around, holding a piece of paper on her hand “Sure. Can I talk to you for a second?”

_Here we go_. Abby had no option but to agree, so she just stepped away from the table and went over to where Mel was standing.

“What is it?” The blonde asked in a low voice.

“Huh, I was wondering if you could tell me that yourself.” Mel huffed, talking quietly “Isaac knows you’re not at the FOB.”

Abby simply stared at the doctor, blinking a couple of times. _How the hell did he find out so fast_?

“He came to see me first thing in the morning today in the med bay to check if I knew where you were.” Mel continued “Why didn’t you tell me about Owen’s incident with Danny?”

“I didn’t want you to get worried.” Abby said the obvious “You were hurt and… And Isaac wouldn’t let anyone go out to look for him. I just had to risk it in case Owen was in trouble.”

“Still, you should’ve told me.” Mel reprimanded her with a stern look. Abby wondered if Owen had talked to his girlfriend about what had happened the night before. _No, he doesn’t have the guts to_ , she mused, knowing deep inside that she didn’t either. “It doesn’t matter, Owen’s not going back anyway. He says the boat will be done by tomorrow, so we’re leaving to Santa Barbara. Are you and Manny still gonna cover us up?”

“Yeah, of course.” Abby knew her friend hadn’t changed his mind either.

“Good. Cause I don’t think Isaac will see us with good eyes ever again after this whole mess.” Mel admitted and then handed the list to the blonde “So while you’re at the hospital, see if you can talk to Nora. Maybe she can send word to the rest of our crew and get here later with them.”

“I’ll do that.” Abby nodded, thinking it was best if Nora, Jordan and Leah went with them as well. They didn’t know about Nick yet and Abby was planning on keeping it that way for the time being; no one needed to know that he had been killed by Joel’s brother. “I’m heading out then. Thanks for… Helping her.” The blonde said, talking about Yara.

“Bring the supplies here and then I’ll see what I can do.”

With that, Abby turned around, approaching Owen and Lev again. She grabbed her backpack from the floor and stored the list in it, quickly putting it on her shoulders. “Lev, c’mon.”

Yara held her brother’s hand, and whispered the words Abby had seen written on some parts of the city “May she guide you.”

“May she protect you.” Lev closed his eyes briefly, squeezing her hand back, and then followed the blonde when she started to head for the door.

“Abby. Abby!” She heard Owen call her, but she didn’t stop, focusing on reaching the door she had left unlocked.

“Hey.” He caught up to her, matching her pace when he realized she wasn’t going to stop “Can I talk to you?”

“I don’t have time for this.” She replied without even looking at him, glad the door as just a few feet away.

“Why are you doing this?” He asked and Abby wondered if he was being serious.

Finally, she reached the door and pulled it open, mentioning for Lev to go on first.

“Look, she just showed up.” Owen continued, voice just above a whisper “I don’t think she knows about last night…”

“I don’t-” Abby breathed in once, biting the inside of her cheeks “I don’t care about last night.” She finally looked at him, hoping he would get the message. She couldn’t believe she had been stupid enough to have let it happen in the first place, it was all her fault anyway.

Owen simply stared at her “Well, I do.” It was all he said after a few seconds.

With a sigh, Abby just stepped outside, where Lev was waiting for her “Be sure to lock the door. I’ll knock when I came back.”

“I hope you know what you’re doing.” Owen said before the blonde turned her back to him and started to walk away.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, if you're enjoying the story so far, please consider leaving a comment down below with some of your thoughts, it'd be much appreaciated.
> 
> Like I said, we're reaching the hospital section soon and it's one of the crucial parts of this story. Hopefully I'll be able to upload more often once my vacation starts in a few days.
> 
> See you all next time, take care and stay safe!
> 
> xx


	21. Road to the Hospital (part I)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, everyone.
> 
> Sorry for taking longer than usual with this update. I had some health issues last weekend and ended up on the hospital, so I got a little behind on my writing while I recovered. But I'm fine now and I hope you enjoy this chapter, which is around 10k words. Hopefully the wait was worth it.
> 
> Thanks again for the support. 
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 021 – Road to the Hospital (part I)**

**Abby – Seattle Day 2**

Abby took a deep breath as soon as she crossed the fence on the back of the Aquarium, feeling the ocean fresh air hit her face with the waves crashing just a few meters from where she was standing. She couldn’t believe Owen wanted to talk about his stupid feelings when there was a girl’s life at stake and when his girlfriend was just a few rooms away. Of course the blonde knew it wasn’t just his fault, she had fucked up as well sleeping with him the night before, but the least he could do was pretend it didn’t happen, like she was doing.

“Your friends are Wolves too?” A voice coming from behind her broke her inner monologue and Abby look around, seeing the Scar kid next to her.

“Uh, yeah.” She answered and started to walk away from the Aquarium “We were lucky Mel was there. She’s one of the best surgeons in Seattle, so Yara’s in good hands.” Abby was still unsure of how the young doctor had gotten there so fast, but she gathered that once she knew Owen was in danger, the woman must have found a way to sneak out of the FOB.

“Mel… And what’s his name? The man?” Lev asked as he followed her through a wooded area.

“Owen.” She replied and turned to face him “He told me you had… met before, right?”

“Hum, kinda.” Lev scratched the back of his neck “He killed a Seraphite that was attacking me and my sister yesterday, but we were scared so we just ran away.”

“He’s a good guy, you can trust him.” Abby explained, glad Lev didn’t stick around at the time, otherwise Danny would have created havoc and shot him on the spot.

“Mel… Owen… Abby…” Lev repeated the names under his breath, like he was memorizing them.

“And the dog’s Alice.” Abby added, knowing most kids loved animals.

 _Or not_. “I don’t like dogs.” Lev retorted quickly and Abby guessed she couldn’t blame him, since Alice was ready to attack them. “How do we get to the really tall buildings? The bridge is there.” The boy asked her, changing subjects.

“Path ahead kicks out towards downtown. The really tall buildings.” She explained, hoping he knew which building to go, since there were a lot of high-rises in that area “You gonna be able to get us the rest of the way?”

“The route starts at the edge of the rushing water. You get us there, I can take over.” The boy sounded confident as they moved forward, and Abby could already hear the river not too far away from them.

“These bridges are really gonna take us over the rapids?” Abby didn’t want to sound skeptical, but she really didn’t remember seeing any bridges.

“Yeah.” Lev replied casually, but Abby kept looking at him by the corner of her eyes “I’m not lying. We’ll get to the hospital in just a couple of hours.”

“Okay.” She had no other option but to believe him.

After walking for a few more minutes, they reached the beginning of the flooded area near the Aquarium, where the rapids slowly faded away into a running, calmer river.

“That’s the building we need to get to.” Lev pointed out, climbing on top of an asphalt block that was once a street.

Abby looked up, seeing a huge building far off in the distance, its top floors being overtaken by the fog, which was common in such a cloudy day. “Okay, I see it.”

“What happens if we can’t get the stuff your friend needs?” The boy asked once they started making their way up the rapids, jumping over to the big chunk of asphalt pieces there were spread around since the water was picking up speed.

“Uh… She’ll have to try and do the surgery with what Owen has around. It’s not… That wouldn’t be good.” Abby was still against amputating the girl’s arm without the right tools; Yara was young, but it was risky to treat her like that.

“Do you think she’ll make it?” She could see how much Lev cared about his sister.

“If we get the supplies…” She said, stopping at an abandoned store that hadn’t been completely destroyed by the bombs, and looked over to the kid before starting to scavenge around for something useful “Yeah, she’ll have a good shot.”

As the blonde went through some drawers, getting a few pieces of cloth and a plastic bottle that could work as an improv silencer, she sensed the boy walking around near her, probably thinking of his next question “Hum… What’s compartment syndrome?”

“Well…” Abby moved to the next room, making progress as she looked around “If too much pressure builds up in your muscles, the blood can’t move in and out of the tissue.”

“Tissue?” He inquired again.

“Kind of like the skin inside your body.” She explained, slightly amused by his many questions.

“How do you know all that?” Lev continued with another one.

Abby jumped over a broken window, getting back outside and crossing over the rapids so she could get to the other side “My parents were doctors.” She answered once he had caught up with her.

“Where are they?” Abby laughed, because of course he would ask that. Lev looked at her with a confused expression “What?”

“They’re dead, Lev. Now why don’t we try to get to the top of this building, huh?” Abby wanted to avoid that topic before things got too personal.

“Okay.” He replied, following the woman as she moved up the stairs to the next floor.

Abby knew he was just being a curious teenage boy, but it didn’t make sense to keep delving into those topics, especially since she knew he hadn’t been completely honest with her about his current situation with the Scars. Besides, they had bigger things to worry about. So she led the way to the side of the building, where the fire emergency stairs where, and made her way up, hoping they weren’t too rusty to hold the weight of two people. After a few more minutes, they both managed to reach the top of the building and now just needed to find a way across the rapids.

“You’ve been to these sky bridges before, right?” Abby asked as they walked over to the ledge.

“Yeah.” The boy answered, looking down as if to test how high they were.

“You think we’re gonna see a lot of Scars?” He had said only small groups were sent at a time, but it didn’t hurt to ask him again.

“Seraphites.” Lev was quick to correct her “And I don’t know.”

 _Seraphites, sure_ , the blonde mused “You gonna be okay if we do?”

“I was yesterday.” He answered like it was no big deal.

“Yeah, but those guys were hunting you.” _Is he okay with fighting more of his own people?_

“They’re all hunting us.” He explained and then jumped over to the highway a few meters away from the building; it had sunken a little, but the concrete structure was still holding on strong, with some rusty cars on top of it.

Abby just sighed and prepared to make the jump; taking a few steps back, she ran and launched herself forward, landing on the other side not so gracefully as the kid. “Oh fuck.” She muttered, noticing how high they were.

“You okay?” She heard the boy ask, standing a few feet from her.

“I’m fine.” Abby breathed out, trying to get her shit together.

She felt Lev’s eyes linger on her a little longer “You sure?”

“I said I’m fine.” The blonde replied quickly, not really wanting him to pick up on her inner struggles.

She continued moving forward, leading the way as the building Lev had pointed to before was slowly getting closer in the distance. She crossed the fallen highway and reached the building on the other side of the rapids, jumping down onto one of its balconies.

“We’re gonna have to do a little zig-zagging.” She opened the door that led inside and waited for the boy to get through.

“Okay, it’s not that far now.” He said, venturing into the apartment, which seemed fairly empty.

As they made their way around the rooms, Abby decided to throw some questions at the boy as well, since he was so keen on making small talk “How long have you two been on the run for?”

“Two days.” She wasn’t surprised by his answer, since they wouldn’t have been able to survive for long out there on their own.

“Where were you headed?”

“I don’t know.” Lev mused for a few seconds “Just… Away.”

“So you gonna tell me the real reason why they’re after you now?” The blonde looked at him over her shoulders while she rummaged through a few boxes, happy to have found some duct tape.

“I did.” It was all the boy offered her.

Abby huffed, laughing a bit “They want to kill a little boy because he shaved his head?” That sounded crazy, even for Scars standards.

“I wasn’t allowed. It’s a rule. I broke it.” There was some kind of honesty in the kid’s voice, which made Abby believe he wasn’t actually lying about it.

“Geez. So why’d you do it?” Now she was the one curious.

Lev shrugged his shoulders and looked down to the stained carpet floor “I don’t know.”

Abby stared at him for a moment, thinking about what to say “Pretty punk rock of you.”

“Punk rock?” He cocked his head to the side, probably confused about the expression.

“I get the impression you don’t follow most rules.” The blonde explained.

“Oh, I guess.” He pondered for a few seconds and then continued “Do you?”

Abby was taken back by the question, not really expecting it “Not anymore.” She replied with no second thoughts, given the current situation she found herself in. With a sigh, the blonde mentioned with her head to the hallway behind her “C’mon, let’s keep going.”

Lev followed her silently to another set of stairs; the bottom half was completely destroyed and Abby could see the rapids rushing down below where the streets once were. They both went up to the terrace though, since it was the only way, and judging by a couple of couches and tents set up there, it had been some sort of camp in the past.

“These might be useful.” The boy reached over to a couple of targets that were posted on the far wall of the building, and removed some arrows that had been left behind.

“How long have you been using that thing?” The blonde asked.

“My bow?” She nodded, so he continued “Since forever.”

“You’re good with it.” She had seen him hold his own when they were fighting the infected back in the forest, handling the bow with ease.

“You should’ve seen Yara.” He seemed proud for a second, but then his face fell a little “Why did they do that to her?” She didn’t know if he meant to say that out loud, but he was probably talking about the people who busted his sister’s arm.

“People are cruel.” Abby knew that all too well, being on both ends of the spectrum.

“My mom would say that. About Wolves.” Lev said, mentioning someone else from his family for the first time.

“Well, she wasn’t wrong.” It was all the blonde offered him before continuing forward, looking for a way to reach the closest balcony of the next building.

They managed to cross a metal catwalk that connected both of the ledges, and then jumped down onto the balcony. They were getting close to the building Lev had talked about, but they still needed to get through the current one. The glass door was locked, so Abby broke it with the back of her rifle, sending shards all over the place; luckily there wasn’t any sort of danger around, it was just an empty coffee shop with lots of tables and chairs scattered in the room. Overall though, that floor was in a rough shape compared to the rest of the rest of the vicinity, which meant that a lot of the walls had fallen apart and there were a hole of holes and gaps blocking most of the paths.

Effortlessly, Lev jumped across a huge hole, using a half-bent metal bar attached to a pillar as leverage to get to the other side “This building will take us to the building next door.”

Abby watched the whole thing dumb-folded, and maybe a little jealous of the boy’s dexterity “You know I can’t do that, right?”

“There’s a way around. If you don’t wanna.” He sounded a little too cocky, or maybe the blonde was just reading too much into it.

“No, I don’t wanna.” She replied matter-of-factly, turning right, where part of the floor was still standing. It was a small office, with a few chairs and a desk remaining, but the far wall had been completely destroyed and the other ones were full of cracks, as if they were about to come down “Oh gosh.” She mumbled, staying as far off the ledge as she could.

It didn’t take her long to reach the area where Lev was waiting for her “I had a cousin who was afraid of heights.” He commented casually.

 _Oh for fucks’ sake_ “Good for your cousin.” Abby tried to ignore him, but she could swear there was a tiny smirk in the corner of his mouth.

“This way.” The boy just rushed forward, climbing a ladder that led to another upper section, but it seemed they had finally reached their destination “Here we are.”

Abby followed him inside the big building, which at first one could say it was abandoned, but looking around, Abby saw many wooden crafted structures that were very well made upon closer inspection. They linked most of the gaps across the floor, creating solid bridges that looked pretty sturdy. _Is this how they’ve been navigating the city?_

“C’mon, follow me.” She heard the boy call out for her as he climbed up some concrete blocks that had fallen off from the floor above them.

“How much higher are we going?” Abby decided to ask. Casually, of course.

Lev looked over his shoulder and gave her a tight smile “You’re gonna be okay.”

Abby didn’t feel comforted by his words at all “It’s a lot, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” The boy kept moving forward down a long hallway that looked like it was a dead end, but there was actually a well-crafted wooden ladder leading up right at its end.

“How did we not find these?” The blonde mused, looking around at some firewood and other tools lying around near the ladder.

“Wolves never look up.” Lev answered, making the woman frown a little.

“What does that mean?”

“It means no matter how many people or guns you have, we’ll find a way around you.” He said before starting to climb up.

Abby just followed right behind him, wondering if that was actually true “Maybe you should stop saying we, since they’re trying to kill you.”

Just as the words left the blonde’s mouth when she and Lev reached the top, they heard a loud whistle echo through the room “The Apostates!” Not even a second later, an arrow flew towards them, grazing at Lev’s arm before hitting the wall behind them.

“Get down!” Abby pushed the boy forward so they could take cover behind a large counter as quick footsteps started to rush towards them.

“It’s over for you!” One of the Scars shouted and Abby could see him hiding behind a pillar when she carefully looked up her cover.

“You’re a disgrace to your mother!” Another one shouted, closer this time “Making her lose her two daughters at once!” Abby frowned at the guy’s words and glanced quickly at Lev, who looked at her wide eyes, clutching to the side of his left arm. _What did he mean by two daughters?_

She didn’t have to think it over, because one Scar rushed forward, trying to flank them; Abby was well aware of him though, so she rolled over to the side when he got in range, hitting once in the knee and then shooting him a few times with her assault rifle while she was still on the floor.

“Wolf!” A Scar woman shouted from the back and Abby got to her feet quickly, standing just at a door frame so she could have a visual on them.

A few bullets and arrows flew over in her direction, but Abby remained in cover before shooting back at them. She heard one of the Scars groan in pain, probably being hit in the exchange of fire.

“I’ll distract them.” She heard the boy say and before she could reply, he was already moving with his bow in hand to one of the pillars ahead.

“Lev, no!” She whispered in vain “Fuck.” Seeing that the Scars had their attention on him, she decided to just take the opportunity then.

Going through the door and sticking to the left side, Abby peeked over one of the office’s windows and shot the Scar who was currently in her eye of sight. He went down immediately, but another Scar showed up too close to Abby and tried to hit her with a hatchet. The blonde reacted fast though, blocking it with her own weapon and pushing the other woman to the wall. Noticing that yet another Scar was about to attack her by the corner of her eye, Abby grabbed the woman in front of her who was still a bit stunned, and used her as a shield as a burst of bullets hit her chest. The blonde was having a hard time lifting her arm to shoot the Scar that was now making her way towards her, since she was still holding the woman’s weight on her, but then two quick arrows hit the guy in the head before he could attack again.

Abby watched as Lev made his way up the hallway, checking the dead Scar on the floor, and seeing there were no other threats, she broke the neck of the woman she was holding just in case she wasn’t dead yet. Throwing the woman off to the side, Abby approached the kid, who was currently busy wrapping a piece of cloth to the small injury on his arm.

“Lemme help.” She offered, but the boy just took a few steps back.

“I got it.” Lev replied a bit too harshly, so Abby just let him be for a few moments, looking around the room instead.

She grabbed some ammo from the Scars’ bodies, surprised it actually took them this long to run into them. The building seemed to be more of their territory though, so she would make sure to be extra careful from now on. A few minutes later, Lev approached her quietly, not really meeting her eyes.

“Did you hear what they said?” He asked in a small voice and Abby thought back at what one of the Scars had said.

“Yeah.” She wasn’t sure she understood it though.

“Do you want to ask me about it?” Even though he had started the conversation, Abby could see he didn’t seem very comfortable.

“Do you want me to ask you about it?” She threw the question back at him.

He hesitated for a few seconds before shaking his head “No.”

“Okay.” Abby said, not wanting to pry on whatever he was hiding from her “Let’s keep moving then.”

With that, Lev started to walk towards the end of the room while Abby watched him closely from a few steps behind. _Two daughters, shaved head, breaking the rules…_ She mused over the words, a few thoughts coming up in her head; Abby didn’t want to assume anything, but since the Scars were a religious cult, she was starting to connect the dots on why they turned against Lev.

Knowing the boy would talk to her if he wanted to, she just followed behind him as he guided them through the building. After going up a flight of stairs, they reached a room illuminated by the dim light of the lanterns placed on the side of a fairly decorated altar, filled with trinkets, flowers and a large picture of the Scar’s prophet painted on the window glass.

“Scars built all this?” The blonde asked, seeing that they really must have taken their time with it.

“Seraphites.” The boy was quick to correct her again as she approached the altar.

 _Fuck_ , Abby cursed herself, since she was supposed to say something to cheer him up a little “Yeah, I was gonna say that…” She tried to redeem herself “It’s pretty cool.”

“What’s cool?” She felt her lips turn upwards at his silly question.

“Like… Impressive. Awesome.” Abby explained and then watched as the boy closed his eyes, muttering some words as in a prayer.

She wondered why he was still keeping his faith on the prophet, since he was being hunted by his own people. She wasn’t going to judge him though. A few moments later, Lev opened his eyes and turned to her, gesturing towards the altar “You can say some words too if you want to.”

“Hum, I think I’m good.” Abby replied, knowing it wasn’t really her thing.

“Alright.” With that, Lev took them to the adjacent room, where another wooden ladder was set in the middle, leading to the upper floor.

“I’ll go first this time.” Abby offered and started to climb it.

She opened the hatch as she reached the top, and the first thing she felt was a rush of cold wind wash over her face, making her braid dangle off her shoulder. Looking around, the blonde realized they were in the upper side of the building, the one that was hidden by the fog when seen from down below. It was still under construction when the outbreak hit, so there were a lot of materials, cables and debris around the vicinity and she wondered where the bridge would be.

“Seriously, how high up are we going?” She asked the boy, not really seeing a way out of there.

“Just follow me.” Lev kept moving up some of the ramps left by the workers back in the day.

The wind was blowing hard and Abby adjusted the zipper of her jacket, closing it up to its end, glad it wasn’t raining at least. Soon after, she and Lev passed through some doubled doors, heading back inside even if it was just briefly. She watched as the kid approached the ledge on the other side, stepping into some sort of metal cage attached to the side of the building.

“Is that an elevator?” She asked, already knowing the answer.

“Yeah.” The boy waited until Abby had stepped inside to close down the door behind her, reaching over to the generator on the opposite side to push some buttons.

There was a faint rumbling sound and the elevator shook upwards before starting its ascend “Shit.” The blonde bit the inside of her cheeks, looking down briefly just to see the floor move beneath her feet.

“Can I give you some advice?” Lev broke the silence after a few moments. _Oh my gosh_ , Abby was breathing hard now, clutching tightly to the metal bars behind her. “Think about the good parts of fear.”

“The g-good parts?” She stuttered, cursing herself mentally for being so pathetic. It was just a fucking elevator ride.

“Yeah, like… You run faster. You’re more focused.” Lev continued, completely unfazed.

The rods pulling the elevator up crank a little and she swore she felt it sway a bit to the side “Holy fuck.”

“You don’t feel pain as much. Every bad feeling… Your palms sweating, your heart racing…” Abby closed her eyes, deciding to focus on the kid’s voice instead of the world shrinking below her “They’re all signs you’re actually stronger. So when you feel afraid, you should think about how your body is getting ready for what’s coming. Only when weak may I carry my true strength.”

Abby breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself down “Is that a prophet thing?” She asked, opening her eyes just as the elevator came to a halt.

“Yeah.” He nodded, then gestured towards the door “We can get off now.”

“Thank gosh.” Abby sighed in relief, opening the door and stepping into the building like her life depended on it “Okay, where to now?” Lev just stared at her with a sheepish look “Wait, lemme guess. Up?”

“The bridge’s this way.” It was all he said before crossing the room.

Abby had no option but to follow him, passing through some fairly empty rooms, left behind completely unfinished. There were tons of concrete blocks and pallets and other construction materials lying around and she wondered if the Scars used some of it to make the bridge. She doubted it though, since it would mean touch old world stuff and she knew they were totally against it. For the most part, at least, because that fucking elevator definitely didn’t make the cut.

They both headed up a spiral staircase that led even higher and upon reaching the top, Abby stopped dead in her tracks “What the fuck is that?” Right up ahead, there was a large, red metal structure that had fallen horizontally, disappearing into the fog that hovered around the building, which prevented Abby from seeing how far it stretched out.

“That’s the bridge.” Lev answered, already standing next to it.”

“Lev!” Abby sounded even more desperate as she got closer, noticing how the Scars had crafted narrow wooden catwalks to close some of the gaps from one metal bar to the other.

“Follow me. We’ll go slow.” He said from a few meters away, balancing off the thing like it was nothing. _Little shit_.

Abby stepped onto the first catwalk, already regretting all of her life’s decisions “I don’t know if I can do this.”

“It’s not as bad as it looks.” _He must be fucking kidding me_.

Abby kept moving slowly, holding to the metal bars as support whenever she could. The fact that it was windy made it ever worse for her and for a second she had to remind herself why she was doing that in the first place. “People cross this regularly?” She wanted to punch the person who thought this was a good idea.

“Yeah.” She heard him say a few feet ahead from him.

“You’re lying.” Her voice sounded a bit pitchy and she was sure things couldn’t get any worse than that.

“I’m not.” She could tell Lev was holding back his laughter “I mean, it’s not the most popular route…”

She breathed hard, stopping for a few seconds on a safer zone before continue forward “Oh gosh.”

“Just try not to look down.” Lev told her, but that was easier said than done.

The path ahead seemed endless, and Abby didn’t know if it was actually that long or if she was just walking painfully slow. Her feet felt like jelly with each step that she took and her hands were so trembling she wasn’t sure she could trust them.

“How you feeling?” Lev asked her after they spent a few minutes in silence.

“Waiting on all that true strength.” She breathed out, doing her best to ignore the wave of nausea that suddenly hit her.

Lev giggled “Cold.”

“Cool.” The blonde blurted out and it sounded more like a groan.

“What?” She didn’t know why she even bothered.

“Nevermind.” She stopped again, holding for dear life onto a large metal bar.

She could see a wooden wall not too far in the distance, probably marking the next building, and she was glad they were almost making to the end; there was another catwalk ahead of her though and Abby could swear it was even narrower than the previous ones. Slowly, she stepped on it, trying her best to keep her breathing even and not look at the abysmal fall below her.

“What’s going on between you and your friend Owen?” Lev broke the silence again and Abby almost slipped off the structure.

“Oh my gosh, Lev! Now?” She fell down on her knees, holding onto the catwalk with both hands, afraid it would just disappear in front of her.

“It just seemed really awkward.” The boy laughed in amusement and Abby suddenly wanted to die.

“Just go!” She yelled, deciding to just crouch forward like a little kid learning how to walk. Fuck it.

Less than a minute later, Abby reached the end of the bridge and sighed in relief, holding onto the wooden wall like it was a safe haven “Oh finally. I did it.”

“C’mon.” The boy didn’t even stop, heading over to the next area.

“Can we take a minute and be impressed by me?” Abby followed right behind him, actually proud of herself for making it.

“Not yet!” He shouted, going under some metal structures and concrete blocks that had fallen over each other.

“Lev, come here, I’m gonna hug you.” Abby was sure none of her friends would believe her if she told them what she had done. She never wanted to do it again, but… Well, it was still an accomplishment.

“You’re not gonna want to hug me in a second.” The boy laughed again and Abby felt the smile on her face falter a bit.

“Why?” She asked, getting impatient when he didn’t reply right away “ _Why?_ ”

“You’ll see.” He looked over his shoulder and climbed another makeshift wooden stair.

Abby didn’t see how things could get any worse and followed him up. But what she saw next made her rethink how much she was willing to get to the hospital. “Holy shit, Lev!” There was another metal structure fallen over the building, similar to the other one, but it was much smaller and didn’t seem as sturdy as the previous one. It had a triangular shape and Abby was sure the wind was going to blow her over the moment she stepped into it.

“It’s gonna be okay. Eyes on me.” Lev tried to reassure her, leading the way.

Abby started to hyperventilate, clutching tightly to the wall behind her “No, I can’t do this. I can’t.” She shook her head a few times.

“Yes, you can. You’ve made it this far, you can do it!” Lev gestured for her to come over.

“Oh gosh, I can’t believe I’m being reassured by a 10 year old.” She breathed hard through her nose.

“I’m 13.” He replied, but it certainly didn’t make her feel better.

The blonde took a few more deep breaths before starting to move “Okay, okay.”

She followed the boy and stepped onto the much narrower wooden catwalk, built on the base of the triangle, closing the gap between one metal bar to the other. She managed to cross the first one, grinding her teeth so hard she thought they were going to break. Luckily, there was a metal net for a few meters ahead and she could catch a break; the blonde just wanted to get to the end as soon as possible though, so she continued moving forward onto the next catwalk, where the metal net ended.

“Here, up this ladder.” Lev guided her and she watched as he climbed another wooden ladder to stand on top of the metal structure. _Oh my gosh, this isn’t happening_.

Abby did the same, gripping so hard on the steps she was afraid of actually breaking them. The wind picked up a little, clearing a bit of the fog and making it possible for them to see the buildings, streets and trees below. “Hey, look! You can see the hospital now!” Lev pointed out excitedly and the blonde made the mistake of looking down at the building.

Vertigo hit her hard and she closed her eyes tightly as soon as her vision became blurred; she couldn’t pass out, it would be the death of her, literally.

“Almost there, focus on me!” She heard Lev say, but she didn’t think she could move.

“I can’t, Lev. I’m not gonna make it.” She breathed hard through her nose again, opening her eyes slowly and looking at her hands holding onto the catwalk below her knees.

“You’re going to, come on. True strength.” He repeated the words from before and Abby hoped they would help her.

“True strength, true strength…” She whispered, moving slowly towards the end of the catwalk. From where they were now, Abby could see that the metal structure had fallen right into the building ahead of them, destroying maybe three or four floors, but she was sure the Scars had worked out on a way down from there.

Abby watched as Lev climbed down another wooden stair when he reached the end of the catwalk. _Just keep going, Abby, you can do it…_ The blonde reassured herself mentally as she approached the ladder, but as soon as she moved her legs to start climbing the steps down, another wave of nausea hit her and she felt the bile rising up her throat. _Oh gosh, please, no_.

“Just a little longer, you got this.” Lev probably saw the blonde hesitate again and encouraged her.

 _Careful, careful…_ Abby climbed down each step slowly, but the worst was yet to come. When she looked left, she noticed she would have to balance on a narrow metal bar with nothing to hold on to before she could reach the final wooden ladder. Lev was already there and he gestured for her to follow him. “Almost there.”

“Oh gosh…” Abby took one step forward, but she swayed a little bit, feeling lightheaded “I’m dizzy.” She tried to take another step forward, but her vision got blurry again, causing her to slip off the platform “Shit!”

“Abby! No!” The boy tried to reach out for her as the blonde held herself for a split of second onto the metal bar, but soon after, both of them ended up falling onto the roof several feet below them, breaking the glass and down into a body of water.

.

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**Lev – Seattle Day 2**

As his body emerged from underwater, breaking the surface, Lev gasped as his eyes went wide, gathering his surroundings. After realizing he wasn’t dead nor hurt, the boy swam to the side of the pool where he and Abby had fallen into and quickly got out, checking his bow to see if it was still in one piece.

A few seconds later, Lev watched as Abby dragged herself out of the pool, taking her bag off her shoulders and then just lying down on the floor with her eyes closed while she caught her breath; she didn’t seem hurt even though she looked as white as paper and as if she was going to throw up at any moment.

“You ready?” He asked, hovering over her.

Abby opened her eyes, still gasping “Can I get a minute? Please.”

Lev nodded and took a couple of steps back “Okay.” He answered and then looked up, eyeing the hole on the glass rooftop of the building. He didn’t blame the Wolf for slipping off the metal platform; to be honest, he thought she was going to give up the moment she saw the bridge and the path they would have to cross, but he was glad she had faced her fears, especially for someone she barely knew. That thought bugged the boy’s mind and he was definitely going to ask her about it later.

“Okay.” He finally heard the Wolf said as she got back on her feet, taking her bag from the floor “Where to now?”

Lev remained in place “I don’t know.”

His reply made Abby look at him with a confused stare “What do you mean?”

“This is the right building, but I’ve never been to this part of it.” The boy explained, running his hand through his shaved head “The bridge drops us off at the back of the building. This is new to me.”

“Okay, well…” Abby looked around and started to move towards a tainted glass door “Let’s see if we can find our way down. It can’t be harder than going up.”

 _I really hope so_ , Lev thought as he followed right behind her; the hospital was so close now and they couldn’t waste any more time, not when Yara was running against it. Abby led them further into the building, reaching a large area with tons of equipment Lev didn’t recognize laying around; the place seemed empty and they could see things clearly due to the high windows on the far back wall, which allowed the sunlight to come in.

Lev rubbed his left ear with his thumb, still feeling a bit weird from the fall “My ears are ringing.”

“If that’s the worst of it, we got off lucky.” The blonde replied as she went through a couple of drawers, probably looking for something worth scavenging.

“Maybe it wasn’t luck.” Lev really didn’t believe in coincidences and was more into the idea that everything happened for a reason, even if he didn’t understand why at first.

“Maybe it was.” Abby sighed and moved to the next part of the room.

The boy didn’t want to drop the subject just yet though “Some Wolves believe in God. I’ve heard them pray.”

“Well, I don’t.” She turned around to face him “If I’m gonna die, I’m gonna die for me.”

“Then what are you doing here?” Lev was quick to inquire, not really getting Abby’s point; the Wolf was literally contradicting herself, since she was pretty much risking her life for someone she barely knew. “Why did you come back for us?”

Abby stared at the boy for a few seconds and he could see she had realized the same thing “Guilt.” She answered.

“Of what? You don’t owe us anything.” Lev was still confused by the woman’s motivation. They both had helped each other back there in the forest, sure, because Emily would’ve killed them all if they hadn’t done something but then they were done. She had no reason to come back for them like she did, even if Lev appreciated the gesture.

“I just…” She licked her lips, taking in some air “I needed to get away from some things for a while.” Abby continued before Lev could get a chance of saying anything else “Now let’s keep moving.”

The boy just sighed and followed her into the next room, still thinking about what she meant by that. Getting away from what? He probably would never know. Focusing back on what had to be done, Lev and Abby passed through what seemed to be a kitchen area until they reached another hallway, this one leading to the elevator and the stairs. On the wall next to the emergency exit, Lev noticed a sign that said ‘21st floor’; they were still pretty high up.

“Here’s our way down.” Abby approached the door and looked quickly through the glass on its side before starting to push it open.

It seemed like something was blocking it from inside, but after a few more pushes, the Wolf managed to get it open and they both headed in.

“Just a body.” Abby looked down to where an old skeleton was leaning against the door.

“One of yours?” The boy asked, noticing the person clearly wasn’t a Seraphite.

“No. Check out the clothes.” The blonde pointed out to the dark blue uniform and black boots the person was wearing, not to mention a broken mask and an old pistol on its hand; Lev didn’t recognize it though. “Here.” He watched as Abby crouched down next to the body and got something that was tied to its chest “Looks dark down there.”

The Wolf handed him a light tool just like the one she was wearing attached to her backpack’s strap, which she turned on with a flicker of a button “Oh, I see how this works.” Lev did the same and hooked the object, which he now knew it was called a flashlight, to the leather strip across his chest.

Meanwhile, Abby pulled a paper from one of the corpse’s pockets and spend a few seconds reading it in the dim light “Lev, are there infected here?”

“We always take the elevator down the bottom, so I don’t know.” He answered while she got up and started to look around “Why? What does that note say?”

“They had orders to clear out this building.” Abby replied, heading down the flight of stairs “It doesn’t seem they were successful though.” She pointed with her chin towards another body lying on the floor a couple of meters ahead, her flashlight also catching glimpses of dried blood stains on the walls and the steps.

Lev couldn’t remember if he had heard anyone talking about demons in this area, but he got the sense that they were likely to be lurking around on the other floors. Hopefully he and Abby would just have to follow the stairs down and then be right by the street that led to the hospital.

With that, they headed down a couple more flights of stairs until the Wolf came to a halt and took a few steps back “Well, guess we won’t be going that way.”

Lev frowned in confusion and then looked at what she was talking about. Much to his dismay, the path leading down was completely destroyed and the gap below was so deep not even his flashlight could reach it.

“We’ll have to cut though the building.” He heard the blonde say, approaching a door with the number 19 written right next to it; as she peeked through the glass part before opening it, he watched as her hand went to her backpack “Spores. Masks on.”

Lev stared at the Wolf while she took a gas mask out of her bag and quickly placed it over her face “I don’t have one.” He deadpanned.

Abby huffed and Lev knew she was rolling her eyes at him or something “Do you guys not believe in gas masks?”

“We were on the run.” Lev explained, like it was obvious. Of course the Seraphites wore masks to protect themselves, they weren’t dumb!

“Let me see what I can find. Stay here.” Abby sighed and grabbed the door’s handle “Back up.” She said and Lev took a few steps back “All the way.” She gestured and it was the boy’s turn to sigh.

He did what she asked though and stood by the steps that headed up “If you die, I’ll be stuck here.” Lev didn’t like that idea at all.

“Better start praying I make it then.” With that, the Wolf twisted the handle, quickly making her way in and closing the door right behind her.

 _Please protect her_ , Lev sent out a small prayer and sighed again, sitting on one of the steps. He couldn’t help but think about all the different scenarios of the situation he currently found himself in. One, Abby could die, and then he would die too since it didn’t seem like there was another way out of the building, which would also result in Yara dying; two, Abby could come back without a mask for him, which meant she would have to go to the hospital by herself and then come back through the same way to get him… No, it wouldn’t work out either. And three, she could find him a mask, but then they would get attacked by demons and not even make it out of the building.

The boy was worried and scared, to say the least. Even if they managed to grab the supplies and get back to the Aquarium, what were they going to do afterwards? Yara would be weaker, without an arm, and they had nowhere to go; the Wolves were being nice, but Lev knew it was dangerous to linger around them too much. He and Yara would have to think about something fast, but first, getting to the hospital was the priority.

Lev looked over to the door where Abby had gone through and payed close attention, trying to hear something from the other side; everything was quiet though and he didn’t know if he took that as a bad or good sign. He must have waited for over 15 minutes or so until he heard a rumbling sound, like something was being dragged on the floor, followed by a gunshot and heavy footsteps. The boy got up and took his bow from behind his back, leaving an arrow ready in case a demon rushed forward, but as soon as the door opened, he breathed in relief when he noticed it was just the Wolf.

Abby seemed fine, with just a few blood stains across her jacket, and the boy watched as she closed the door behind her and reached out inside her backpack “Got you a present.”

With that, The Wolf handed him a gas mask that was in a pretty good condition and Lev smiled at her before putting it over his face. It was a bit big for him, but Lev would make it work, all he needed to do was adjust the buckles a little and…

“Here.” Abby approached him and started to fix them for him, making sure the mask was securing his face.

Lev appreciated the gesture and stood still while the Wolf worked on the buckles “We’re taking too long.”

“Can’t move any faster. It won’t do your sister any good if we’re both dead.” Abby replied and then tugged the mask a little when she was done to see if it was okay “There. We got this.”

Lev nodded and followed the woman inside. The hallway was completely destroyed, with a huge hole on the floor and most of the walls falling apart “Did you see a way down?”

“Not really. Apparently they bombarded this place trying to clear it from the infected, so careful where you step. Everything’s in ruins.” The blonde answered as she looked around.

Lev looked up, where he could see the upper apartment, and there seemed to be a kind of rope hanging from one of the pillars “Abby. What about that?” The boy pointed out; maybe they could use it to get to the lower floors.

Abby followed his gaze and got closer to the wall “Is that a firehose?” She mused and then turned to the kid “Lemme get you up there, c’mon.”

The blonde held her hands together so Lev could step on them, and then she launched him upwards with almost no effort. The boy reached the upper floor and grabbed the firehose; it was still hooked tightly to the mechanism on the wall, so he just threw the other end over the hole on the floor, watching as it disappeared below.

“Okay, this will do.” He heard Abby say as he climbed down “I’m gonna head down first.”

“Be careful.” Lev said, hoping the Wolf wouldn’t panic again since they were pretty high up.

“C’mon, you got this…” He heard Abby mumble before grabbing the hose and starting her descent.

A few moments later, he heard a soft thud at the bottom, meaning Abby had reached it safely “Okay, come down!” She half-shouted and Lev followed her, sliding down the hose.

After passing through four floors or something, the boy finally jumped down, landing next to Abby. The first thing he noticed was how the walls and most of the floor were covered with the demons’ infection, and he knew that meant they were around there somewhere.

“Eyes sharp.” Abby said as she started to move forward “This is definitely a nest and we don’t know how many infected are still alive.”

“May the current be calm.” The boy whispered, drawing his bow just in case.

After moving through some of the debris, they reached another section that also had a huge hole in the middle and that expanded to the lower floors as well. Lev carefully looked down and even from the distance, he could see a demon walking on its fours for a quick second before hiding in the shadows again.

“Of course getting down wouldn’t be easy.” Abby said and walked over a ledge, holding herself to the wall until she reached the other side of the room.

Lev followed right behind her, hearing some groans echoing in the distance. _This is not good, this is not good…_ Abby was scanning the back of the room, probably looking for a way to get through and before Lev could turn around and take a few steps closer to her, something jumped from the wall behind him and grabbed his shoulders.

“Abby!” Lev yelled as he tried to get away from the demon’s grip on his shirt.

Moving quickly, Abby yanked Lev to the side, punching the demon in the face and making it detach itself completely from the wall. Once free, the demon snarled and launched towards the blonde, but she was faster and pulled her shotgun out, shooting it once in the chest. The demon fell dead on the floor and Lev felt himself calm down a little after almost dying.

“You okay, kid?” Abby approached him, putting one hand on his shoulder, which was going up and down due to his heavy breathing through the mask.

“That thing was growing into the wall.” It was the first time he saw that and Lev already dreaded it.

“Yeah, until it fucking wasn’t.” Abby sighed and then looked around “Just keep close to me. These infected must’ve been here since the outbreak day, so it’s possible many of them have calcified with the fungus. We may be stirring some of them up.”

“I hate demons.” The boy admitted as he moved forward with the Wolf, now carefully checking each one of the walls around him.

There were beds, chairs and old furniture trashed around and some of the rooms were completely blocked by the debris. They approached the edge of another gap and Abby pointed out to the other side. “Let’s make it across to the next floor.”

With that, they both jumped down, and Lev looked around, seeing more of the same “How many more floors down do you think we have to go?” He asked, thinking about how fast it would’ve been with the elevator.

“Uh… We reached the stairs on the 19th and then climbed down another five or something. Still a long way down.” Abby answered, crouching a bit behind a counter “Hey, up ahead. Clicker.”

Lev still didn’t understand why the Wolves named the demons, but he listened closely to a clicking sound coming from the other side of the room, behind the walls; they could avoid it, but in order to do that, they would have to walk through a metal bar that connected the room they were in to the other one. The boy was about to go first when Abby suddenly grabbed his arm, telling him to wait. “There, on the wall, can you see it?”

He glanced over to where she was pointing, guiding his flashlight so he could see better, and there was definitely a human shape on the wall, like it was growing on it, its legs and arms partly covered by what it seemed to be a white foam “Another demon.”

“Yeah. Think you can hit it with your bow? Right in the head?”

Lev nodded and grabbed an arrow, pulling the string of his bow with ease and then releasing it in a swift move; the arrow made its way right to the demon’s head and they both watched it screech for a split of second before going limp, blood coming out of his temple.

“Good job.” Abby said as she started to make her way through the metal bar “Let’s keep moving.”

They left the other demon behind and continued forward into another area of the building. There was a way down, using some concrete blocks that had fallen off the ceiling, but Lev watched as Abby moved closer to another metal bar, that led to a hole on one of the walls in the room parallel to them “Where are you going? We need to head down.” He whispered in a rush.

“Just gimme a minute, I think there’s something in there.” Abby didn’t wait for him to reply and just disappeared into the hole.

The boy sighed and looked around, trying not to get jumped by any of the demons again. To be honest, he was glad Abby was with him, because he didn’t think he would be able to do that by himself. Less than a minute later, the blonde made her way back to him, holding some sort of gun on her hands. “What is that?” He asked.

“A flamethrower.” Abby turned the weapon on her hands and even with the mask covering her face, he could see that she was smiling “And with a bit of gas in the can, surprisingly. It might come in handy later.”

“That’s cold. I mean…” Lev frowned, knowing he had messed up the word again.

“You’re getting the hang of it.” Abby said in a light tone and then led the way “C’mon, right this way.”

They climbed down the concrete blocks to reach another floor and Lev was sure the place was getting even more disgusting with the mushroom-like things on the walls and furniture the further they moved down. The light coming from outside created an orange-ish glow due to the curtains of the same color and the boy couldn’t wait to breathe fresh air again. They continued onto the next floor, but Abby stopped immediately as soon as a low and wet breathing sound echoed through the walls a few feet away from them.

Lev turned to her, his eyes wide under the mask “It’s that big demon.”

“Yeah, probably a shambler.” The wolf said, again with the names for the demons “But don’t worry, let’s try to move past it quietly.”

Lev agreed and followed the blonde over to another metal bar that connected the rooms, right across the big holes on the ground. He heard Abby swear under her breath as they made their way across it, but he knew it was better to face her fear of heights than the big demon.

“I hate this.” She sighed, seeing that they would have to jump a little bit further down to move to the lower level.

“Just a little bit more. We must be close.” Lev encouraged her and then watched as the blonde took a step back before jumping over the gap, landing on the other side in a not so subtle way.

The boy followed right behind her just as they heard the demon groan a bit more deeply, its heavy footsteps being dragged on the floor “It didn’t seem like it heard us.” He said after a few seconds.

“Good. This way.” Still moving quietly, Abby led the way, squeezing through a gap on the wall.

They both made it down maybe three or four more floors with no major issues until they reached a larger section of the building. Lev walked over to some double doors that were wide opened and pointed towards the broken windows “Abby. Look.” The blonde approached him and the boy got as close to the windows as he could “We’re still a bit high up, but at least we can see the streets from here.”

“Okay, we’re making progress.” She said and then turned to him “You doing alright?”

Lev nodded a couple of times “Yeah. Are you?”

“If I’m being honest? Not my best day.” Abby admitted, much to the boy’s surprise; she didn’t seem like a person who let other know about her weaknesses.

“Well, at least you didn’t throw up.” Lev mentioned, enjoying the mood even though they were still inside a building full of demons.

Abby stared at him, cocking her head slightly to the side “Did you think I would?”

“Uh… Maybe.” He wasn’t lying; he was sure she would throw up after they fell into the pool earlier.

The blonde just laughed and started to make her way down through a treacherous path near the windows “The day’s not over yet, so… Run that by me later, alright?”

“Okay.” He smiled as well and followed right behind her.

Looking outside, the boy could see the cloudy sky and the outline of the big wheel near the Aquarium far in the distance. _Just hold on tight, Yara…_ After a couple more floors down, there were no more windows and the darkness overtook them again, leaving them only with their flashlights. They jumped down onto a small room and the only way forward seemed to be through a doubled metal door in front of them; thing is, some low and deep groans could be heard from the other side of it.

“Demons.” Lev said, grabbing his bow.

“Get ready and stay close to me, okay?” Abby took a few steps towards the door and after listening through it for a few seconds, she opened it slowly, making her way inside with Lev in toe.

The first thing Lev noticed was how dark it was and how the light coming from their flashlights formed a bright circle illuminating a long hallway filled with the demons’ infection on the walls, floor and ceiling. Then, one of those blind demons stepped into the hallway, coming from one of the doors on the side, still oblivious to their presence.

“Holy shit.” Abby whispered, immediately crouching and finding cover behind a metal structure close to the door.

“There are too many demons.” Lev whispered back, not really seeing a way out “How are we gonna get outta here?”

“I don’t know. But we’re gonna make it.” Abby looked around, peeking from her cover. There were doors on both sides of the hallway and the groans and screeches seemed to be coming from all the directions. “Listen, I don’t think we can get passed them unnoticed, it’s too dangerous. We’re gonna have to fight them.”

“What? We can’t, they’re gonna kill us. There’s another one of those big demons in the end of the hallway, can’t you see it?” Lev was trying to keep his voice down, but it was hard when the Wolf was pretty much sending them to their deaths.

“Hey, hey.” Abby shushed him “It’s gonna work out, just trust me, okay?” She said, reaching over to her bag and taking a few things from inside “Here, these are pipe bombs, you can ignite them with this lighter.” Lev put his bow on his back again so he could hold the things Abby handed him “I’m gonna get their attention, try to gather them around, and then you’re gonna throw the bombs at them while I handle the bloater, alright?”

Lev looked at the weird objects he was holding, then back at Abby “But… What if it doesn’t work out?”

“It will, trust me. Just stay behind cover and if they come after you, run to your left.” Abby pointed to a small gap on the wall next to them “Now I’m gonna throw something to distract them and as soon as they gather around, you throw the bombs, okay?”

Even though the boy wasn’t sure about what they were doing, he nodded and watched as the Wolf grabbed a rock from a pile of rumble nearby and threw it towards the end of the hallway, close to the big demon. Suddenly, more demons started to come from the rooms on the sides, screaming and groaning loudly as they gathered around the source of the noise. With that, Abby grabbed the weapon she had found earlier and walked past a door on the right, not before yelling ‘now’ to the boy.

“Oh, fuck. Throw the bomb, throw the bomb.” Lev told himself as he trembling hands flickered the lighter and ignited one of the bombs.

Just like Abby told him, Lev threw it over to the five, maybe six demons that had gathered by the big one and watched as it exploded after a few seconds. More screeches and moaning could be heard as pieces of demons flew around, landing on the floor in wet, disgusting plops. Seeing that a few more of them were still standing, Lev ignited the second pipe bomb and threw it as well, this time aiming even closer to the big demon. As soon as it went off, Abby showed up from a door in the middle of the hallway, holding the flamethrower in front of her body; Lev had never seen one in action, but now he understood why the Wolf was so happy to have found it. When she pulled the trigger, a burst of flames emerged from the barrel, and Abby sprayed it across the big demon’s body. It screamed loudly, stumbling back a couple of steps, but then it reached over to his right shoulder, taking a big and rounded piece of his own body, and threw it in the Wolf’s direction.

“No! Abby!” The boy yelled, standing from behind his cover as the large spore ball hit the doorframe where Abby was standing.

Lev wasn’t sure if any of it had hit her, but the blonde disappeared back to the other room. Meanwhile, the big demon that was now partially in flames started to make its way towards the boy, since it noticed him after he shouted. Lev grabbed his bow, not knowing if he should just run like Abby told him to, or go check on her to see if she was okay; it didn’t seem like he would have much time to think about it though, since the demon was already reaching over his shoulder again.

Before the boy could make up his mind, the demon screeched loudly again as another burst of flames engulfed it from behind. Forgetting about the target in front of it, the demon tried to turn around and reach over to whoever was behind it, but it wasn’t fast enough. Soon, the flames took over his body completely and it fell to its knees on the floor, collapsing forward with a loud thud. Everything was silent for a few moments, the sound of Lev’s own heavy breathing being the only thing to hit his ears, until the smoke dissipated a bit and he could see Abby’s silhouette in the end of the hallway.

“Lev?” She called out and then he ran towards her.

“You did it. You killed the big demon.” He still sounded out of breath.

“ _We_ did it, kid. We killed it.” Abby also seemed relieved as she strapped the weapon back on her left shoulder “You did great.”

“Were you hit back there?” He asked, checking for any signs on her body or cracks on her mask.

“No. Were you?” The blonde threw the question back at him.

“I’m clean. It was just… That was just a lot.” He admitted, feeling droplets of sweat on his forehead under the mask.

“Yeah… But how about we get the hell out of here now?” Abby suggested and it wasn’t like she needed to say it twice.

“Totally.” Lev replied, eager to leave that place once and for all “Fuck this building.”

Abby laughed now that they were clear “You learn fast, kid.”

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, please consider leaving a comment below if you're enjoying the story so far, it'd be really appreaciated.
> 
> Happy Holidays to whoever's out there. Stay safe. :)
> 
> xx


	22. Road to the Hospital (part II)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi there, everyone!
> 
> How's 2021 treating you so far? Hope you're all staying safe as we go through these difficult times.
> 
> Here's the new chapter, which finally sets in motion the hospital section for the next three ones. Can't wait to share them with you.
> 
> Enjoy your reading and thank you so much for the support!
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 022 – Road to the Hospital (part II)**

**Ellie – Seattle Day 2**

Stepping out of the theater, Ellie heard the door being barricaded from the inside and, taking a last look at her map, she started to make her way to the hospital. The girl knew Jesse wanted to come along and to be fair, she would probably be safer with him around, but she couldn’t risk missing the chance of finding Nora. Jesse was hurt and she needed to move fast, so leaving him at the shelter was the right call; besides, having someone monitoring the radio would be perfect for gathering more info on the Wolves. And maybe they could find where Tommy was being held.

Putting the map back inside her backpack, Ellie moved toward a FEDRA triage gate a few meters down the street, which was probably used to separate the city in sections, much like it was done in Boston. Before searching for a way to get over it, Ellie decided to check the gate and see if she could get past the moving bars; luckily, they weren’t so caught up in the overgrown vegetation, so the girl managed to push them forward, squeezing through the gap and reaching the other side. The path up the street was completely blocked by a tall metal fence, which meant Ellie needed to cut through one of the abandoned stores adjacent to it. Upon entering what seemed to be an old convenience store, she noticed that the selves and counters were pretty much cleaned, but Ellie still managed to find a plastic bottle and a few shotgun shells left behind by whoever looted the place before.

Moving to the opposite side of the store, Ellie broke one of the windows glasses that led back to the street, hoping the sound wouldn’t alert anyone nearby. As she walked with keen, alerted eyes checking her surroundings, the girl breathed in the fresh and humid air of the early afternoon; the overgrown grass covered most of the area like a huge and soft tapestry and she felt her sneakers sunk a bit into the mud beneath them. The day was also cloudy, with dense and gray clouds hovering in the sky, and Ellie knew it was just a matter of time before the rain started again.

When she reached a crossroad a few minutes later, Ellie was about to check her map again to see which way was faster, but looking over to her left, she noticed it was a dead end street, closing in on what seemed to be a shipment area in the back of a storage facility. The girl turned right then, but after walking further down the path, she was met with another fence and while it had a small metal gate, it was locked from the other side. _Shit_ , Ellie cursed, looking around for another way around it. She headed towards the back of a building and even though it didn’t have any doors in that side, Ellie could see a breach on the barbed wire on top of a concrete wall that apparently led inside; if she could find something to climb on, she could maybe reach the building and cut through it.

With that in mind, the girl scanned the area, looking for some sort of leverage. _If only Jesse was here to gimme a boost_ , she mused, already seeing the disadvantages of being by herself. That wouldn’t stop her though, and a few moments later, Ellie found a big dumpster behind a garbage truck she had passed through earlier. Pushing it not very subtly over to the wall, its wheels scrapping the bits of asphalt left on the ground, the girl got on top of it and climbed the wall, carefully avoiding the barbed wire. Jumping over to the other side, Ellie continued through a narrow path leading up and just on a wall to her right, she could read a sign that said “East Entrance”, partially covered by leaves and moss. Continuing up, Ellie climbed two more concrete blocks until she reached roof; staring into the distance ahead, the girl saw what seemed to be big, red sign on top of a building, built in a similar shape to a cross.

“There’s the hospital.” She sighed, and then looked down to the city below her “How the hell am I going to get there?”

From where she was standing, Ellie could see how that particular area of the city had been damaged by the bombings; most of the buildings surrounding the hospital were damaged, some of them even partially destroyed, tumbling over one another. She could also see part of a flooded area near the dense forest that covered most of the path ahead, and the girl wondered what kind of dangers she would have to face in order to cross it. Looking up to the top of building she currently found herself in, Ellie read another sign that said “Seattle Conference Building”, one of the places she had marked on her map as a potential Wolf outpost, but judging by the lack of patrols, she was probably mistaken.

_Only one way to find out_ … And with that, Ellie broke one of the 7 foot high windows that led inside and entered the building through one of its many floors. Seeing no door or ladder leading up, the girl climbed down to the lower floor using a few wooden platforms attached to the ceiling by a couple metal chains. The place seemed empty and awfully quiet, which caused Ellie to be even more on guard, since those circumstances were never a good sign. She followed the only clear path ahead, which ended on a set of doubled doors; carefully, Ellie pushed it open and entered a fairly dark lobby.

_Not suspicious at all_ , the girl mused as she turned on her flashlight and taking a look at the place. There were some posters on the walls with a beautiful art design that said “Comic Expo 2013”, the date matching the outbreak year, and Ellie wondered if that conference ever got the chance to happen. As she moved into the room, Ellie’s nose wrinkled with a strong, musky smell that circled in the air. _Jesus_ , she complained, knowing that whatever or whoever was there, had been dead for a long time. The walls and the ceiling were also humid, with large black and green stains spreading from the corners, the mold slowly taking over.

Checking one of the offices on the right, Ellie saw a few skeletons on the floor, but in the far back of the room, there was a fresh body of a woman. As she approached it, the girl noticed it was a Wolf, judging by the clothing, and from the gash on her chest and the bites on her arms, it appeared the woman had been brutalized by an infected. _Or a group of them_ , Ellie thought, turning around already with her pistol in hand. She kept moving forward, ears sharp to see if she could hear anything, but the only sound was coming from her own footsteps.

Ellie continue further down the hallway and upon opening a door slowly, the beam of her flashlight caught some particles in the air, which meant there were spores ahead. The girl had a gas mask on her bag, just in case, but it wasn’t like she needed to wear one anyway. Crossing the threshold, Ellie could see the infection growing on the walls and corners of the large room, not to mention the various pieces of bones spread around, probably from many years ago. Not really wanting to stay there longer, the girl started to look for a way out, moving through all the desks and office paraphernalia. She sighed in relief when she spotted a set of windows in the back and, after breaking the glass in a not very subtle way, Ellie climbed on the emergency staircase on the side of the building; she was two or three floor up and looking down below, she could see the rapids washing what was once the street with a fierce current.

She needed to keep following the rapids down the street though, so the girl went up the stairs since the lower steps were destroyed. Things were promising until Ellie stopped right in front of a big gap on the stairs, which was impossible for her to cross with a single jump. _Back to the building, I guess._ Ellie sighed as she jumped inside through an already broken window, hoping to reach the other side of the stairs without running into any trouble. The room she found herself in was also filled with spores and Ellie was sure she heard a low groan echoing through the walls.

_Fuck me_ , she checked her pistol once more and started moving forward, keeping her back to the windows for as long as she could. Seeing that she would have to get past the hallway, Ellie walked slowly towards it, almost tiptoeing in order not to alert any of the infected that definitely were around. Before she could reach a door that led to the other room, the girl heard something move behind her, almost like a scratching sound, and she quickly turned around, the pistol steady on her hands as she waited for the imminent danger. A few seconds went by, and as Ellie contemplated to just make a run for the door, a small creature emerged from the shadows, screeching slightly.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Ellie rolled her eyes and put her gun down at the sight of a brown rat making its way across the room in quick steps.

Turning around again to face the door, Ellie continued to swear the animal in her head while she worked on the handle, which seemed to be stuck or something. Just as she forced the door a bit with her shoulders, a loud scream coming from her left made her jump and suddenly a stalker launched itself towards the girl, pushing her a few steps back until she hit the window behind her.

“What the fuck!” Ellie groaned, pushing the stalker with her arms to prevent it from biting her, but the infected was relentless and kept yanking at her.

The pressure must have been too much, because a few seconds later, Ellie heard the glass crack behind her and soon she and the stalker fell out of the window and into the rapids down below. Ellie emerged with a loud gasp, but the creature pulled her down the water again, wrestling with everything it got. Pushing it with one arm, Ellie managed to reach the blade in her back pocket and sink it on the stalker’s neck, quickly pulling it out and stabbing him again. The creature finally let go of her and Ellie emerged once more, gasping as the rapids carried her forward so fast that it was impossible to hold onto something. Before she knew it, Ellie was washed away into the sewers and the current finally slowed down a bit, carrying the girl until a concrete ledge near the maintenance area.

“Fuck Seattle.” Ellie breathed out, making her way out of the water, which was freezing by the way. Now she was drenched, cold, and probably a bit lost as well; she needed to get back outside to check her location again. _Okay, but how do I get out of here?_

Ellie looked around, searching for a way out. There were some wooden crates and garbage cans in one of the corners and two metals gates, which upon closer inspection, were locked from the inside; the tunnels above water were also blocked by thick metal bars, leaving her with no options. Looking up though, Ellie noticed some big pipes with rusty catwalks on top of them that led to a yellow ladder on the far back wall. _Guess that’s my way out_. Using some of the crates as leverage, the girl managed to reach the pipes and started to make her way to the ladder, having to crouch and squeeze through a tight gap near the ceiling. Once she got to the steps, Ellie climbed up until she reached a metal structure that was closing the entrance; thankfully, it had been loosely placed on top of the hole, so Ellie had no trouble getting it out of the way and finally leaving the sewers.

Scanning the place, Ellie figured she was near the entrance of the subway, since there was a faded sign with a metro schedule and a lot of broken ATM’s and vending machines. The girl then looked for the set of stairs that would lead outside, glad to see some trees ahead glowing under the natural light. Crossing the gates at the top of the stairs, Ellie found herself in some sort of park and taking a quick look at her map, she realized she just needed to cross it in order to get to the hospital.

_Okay…_ Nodding to herself, Ellie stepped onto the grass, noticing how tall the trees were, not to mention the overgrown vegetation that created a dense forest ahead of her. It was still mid-afternoon or something, but it was so cloudy that it seemed nightfall had arrived already, and as the girl went further into the forest, she could see an eerie, faint orange light in the distance, and Ellie knew something was up. Crouching among some of the bushes, she kept moving forward carefully, and a few meters ahead of her, Ellie saw a person hanging from a light post, their guts spilling from their belly as the blood pooled beneath them. _Oh fuck, not those people again_.

Not long after Ellie got past the body, she heard a sharp, but low whistle echoing through the forest, which made her push her back against a tree trunk and stay still. After a few moments, Ellie peeked her head out a little bit, scanning the area, and soon she spotted four hooded figures standing in a small clearing; now she could see that the orange light was coming from the torches three of them were holding, while the other one held a knife on his hands, slowly approaching a person who was hanged from another light post.

“Just… Please, just…” The person tried to say between chokes, wiggling on the rope “Listen…”

Ellie got a little close, using the bushes as cover and trying her best not to make any sound, and from her position, she gathered the person to be a Wolf. The hooded person approached them, cutting their shirt open with a simple movement of the knife “They are nested with sin.” It was all he said before stabbing the Wolf on his stomach, sliding the knife down and then ripping it out with a slice to the left.

_Jesus fucking Christ…_ Ellie watched as the Wolf choked on his own blood, his guts now spilling out of his stomach as the hooded man wiped the knife clean on his thigh. “Free them… That they may know my love.” He whispered still looking at the Wolf.

The girl knew the Scars were ruthless from what she had seen at the TV station, but to actually watch them first hand was definitely wild. Those people were fucking crazy and Ellie just wanted to stay the hell away from them; she wasn’t a Wolf, but she was sure they would kill her on sight. With that in mind, she looked around, thinking on what her best option to get past them was.

“Now scatter across the perimeter.” She heard one of them say “What happened to Emily was a warning to our slack behavior. Shoot the apostates on sight!” _What the hell are they talking about?_

Three Scars started to venture in different directions deep into the forest with their torches while the other one walked towards a concrete structure partially covered by tree branches and mold. There were some old FEDRA trucks half-buried in the mud as well and Ellie used them as cover to approach the building, which seemed to be one of those parking lots with many levels; apparently it extended out of the forest, so maybe Ellie could cut through it to reach the hospital faster. As she got closer, the girl could see other bodies hanging from the trees and some barrels near the entrance with fire burning inside of them, working as a light source. Hearing footsteps coming in her direction, Ellie stood still in her crouching position behind a dumpster and when the Scar was within melee range, she grabbed him from behind, sinking her blade into their throat. The Scar woman fell limp on the ground and before anyone could see, Ellie dragged her body into a bush trying to hide it. Before moving on though, the girl noticed the woman was carrying a well-crafted bow, so she decided to grab it, along with the arrow quiver. This will definitely come in handy, she mused, setting the quicker in her backpack and leaving the zipper open just enough to give her access to the arrows.

Entering the building, Ellie went up the first ramp carefully not to alert whoever was patrolling that area. She could hear soft whispers and footsteps, but couldn’t pinpoint a specific direction; it seemed like they were everywhere. She reached the second ramp and quickly ducked behind a van next to one of the pillars when she spotted a Scar making his way down with a hunting rifle on his hands. Ellie watched as he made his way to the opposite side of the level, disappearing briefly behind one of the cars before backtracking and going up the ramp again. The girl waited until he had his back to her to quickly stab him from behind, the blade cutting they guy’s neck with ease. _Crazy fucks_ , she muttered, moving past the body and up the second ramp, not before grabbing a machete from the dead guy. She had a feeling Seattle had a way to fuck with people’s minds and she couldn’t wait to be completely done and leave it behind for once and for all.

Still keeping a low profile, Ellie could see a third ramp not too far away from her position, but part of the ceiling had given in, creating a huge hole which also seemed to lead towards the street. Deciding to go by a different route, Ellie moved towards the hole, climbing over the asphalt blocks that had crumbled down until she reached the top. She could see a Scar patrolling the far end of the street to her right, so the girl just kept going left, using the cars and the tall grass to her advantage. Suddenly, a loud and urgent whistle broke the atmosphere, coming from inside the building, and Ellie came to a halt behind a FEDRA truck. _Shit, they must have found a body_. Seconds later, she watched as three more Scars appeared out of nowhere a few meters ahead of her, jumping down from a semi tumbled over on the street. With their bows in hand, they rushed past her with quick footsteps heading towards the building, and the girl stood still behind her cover, hoping no one would notice her.

After they ran down the ramp, Ellie ran away in the opposite direction, going under the semi and then jump over the gap on the street until she reached a small square, with a few stores circling it. She could just barely see the front of the hospital sign in the distance, so it meant she was getting closer and just needed to cut through one of the stores. With that in mind, Ellie head inside one of them, quickly going for a bright red door with an exit sign on top of it. Before the girl could touch the handle though, the door was kicked open with a loud thud, sending Ellie against the counter behind her. Still catching her breath, Ellie looked up and saw a big Scar warrior holding a warhammer stepping towards her and then grabbing her by the neck, lifting her off the floor and throwing her across the room like she was a sack of potatoes.

“You motherfucker!” Ellie yelled, coughing a little bit as she quickly got to her feet, reaching for one of her holsters.

Ellie didn’t have a chance to fire, because the Scar whistled loudly and rushed forward with his hammer; the girl managed to roll to the side though, only feeling the hard impact of the weapon hitting the floor where she was standing. Checking the few shotgun shells she still had left, Ellie aimed at the big guy and she was about to pull the trigger with an arrow hit her on her right arm, causing her to stumble back as two more Scars entered the room coming from the same red door. Jumping over another counter and squeezing through the shelves, the girl managed to hide in one of the many aisles of the store, glad it was big enough to give her a fucking moment to breathe. Carefully listening to the footsteps around her, Ellie made sure to handle the arrow that was still stuck to her arm; breaking its end, the girl took a deep breath and then pulled it out quickly, seeing some blood spill out of the wound. _Fuck_. She would have time to bandage it later though, because the Scars were slowly approaching her and she needed to get the hell out of there.

Peeking out of her cover, she noticed they had spread out, trying to cover as much of the store as possible. Ellie grabbed her recently acquired bow, setting one arrow ready; if she could handle the two other ones first, it would be easier to focus on the big guy afterwards. The girl waited until the big Scar warrior was on the opposite side of the store to shoot an arrow right in the head of the smaller one. The noise got the attention of the second Scar, but before he could shoot at her, Ellie pushed one of the shelves into him, making the man lose his balance for a moment. Seeing the opportunity, Ellie grabbed the machete she had also found earlier and sliced him in the chest two times.

“You’ll die for this.” The big Scar headed towards her in large steps, his deep voice echoing in the room.

Ellie quickly pulled her machete out of the guy’s dead body just in time to dodge a swing coming from the warhammer; the girl was definitely faster than him, so she tried to slice him with her blade a few times. The first strike hit his arm, but he managed to deflect the second and the third one with the long handle of his warhammer, and before the girl could get away, he grabbed her by her shirt once again and threw her onto the counter. Ellie groaned as she felt her skin burn when she landed on some shattered glass on the floor, but she swallowed the pain and got up to her feet, dodging again as the Scar warrior swung his hammer at her, hitting a shelf instead.

Trying to get some distance, Ellie ran towards the aisles again, squeezing through the gaps between some of the shelves as the Scar knocked them over with his weapon, trying to grab her at all cost. Going for her shotgun one more time, realizing he wouldn’t go down easily, Ellie launched herself behind another counter for protection and then shot in his direction. The shells hit him right in his chest, but the Scar only took a couple of steps back before keep moving towards her. _What the actual fuck?_ Ellie duck behind the counter again, reloading her gun as fast as she could. As soon as she was done though, she felt the Scar slam the warhammer into the counter, breaking it into two; he hovered over the girl and raised his weapon once more to hit her, but Ellie cocked her gun before he could attack and shot him again on his chest. She waited for a few seconds, watching as the Scar held his hammer midair and then dropping it onto the floor, falling on his knees as blood stained his coat red.

“This is sacrifice land.” He mumbled, reaching for a knife holstered on his waist.

Ellie got to her feet, breathing heavily, and grabbed her machete which was still covered in blood “Then die.” With one single hit, she sunk the blade into the guy’s neck, pushing him with her feet until she pull it out.

Bloodied and battered, Ellie just scanned the place quickly to see if there wasn’t anyone else around and then finally headed towards the exit door, limping a little. She wouldn’t let them kill her, no. She wouldn’t allow it. Not before she finished what she had to do.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, if you're enjoying the story so far, please consider leaving a comment down below, it would be much appreaciated, really.
> 
> I'll see you next week. Take care and stay safe!
> 
> xx


	23. Lakehill Hospital

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!
> 
> Here's a new chapter, I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Thanks again for all the support on this story, I really appreaciate it. :)
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 023 – Lakehill Hospital**

**Abby – Seattle Day 2**

After defeating the group of infected, Abby and Lev managed to find their way out of the tall building, finally getting rid of their masks and breathing some fresh air outside. It wasn’t raining, but the cloudy sky blocked pretty much all of the sunlight even though they had a few more hours left before dusk. Climbing on top of the remains of a store, Abby stayed crouched behind a pile of bricks and looked ahead, seeing the fence that marked the hospital perimeter; most of the area around it was flooded, so the easiest and fastest access was by boat. There was one tied to a post near one of the gates and Abby could see a couple of guards scanning the area from a watch tower, where a bright searchlight illuminated the vicinity, moving slowly from left to right.

The blonde gestured for Lev to come over and he approached her, keeping himself behind the bricks as well “This is as far as you go.” She told him, and then explained further when Lev furrowed his brow in a confusing expression “They’ll shoot you on sight if they see you.” Abby turned to the kid “I’m gonna go in the front door, grab the stuff, and then come right back. It shouldn’t take me more than 30 minutes. You stay right here, yeah?”

Abby waited until Lev nodded and then jumped into the water, swimming to the other side of the river. She knew the boy wanted to come along and help, but it was better for his sake – and hers – that he remained hidden from the other Wolves. On top of that, Isaac had already found out that she wasn’t at the FOB, at least that was what Mel had told her. She could only hope that her boss hadn’t sent any word for the hospital yet; it was a risk she was willing to take. As the blonde got out of the river, she felt the bright beam of the light hit her face, and a voice shouted from the watch tower “Got someone in the water!”

“Trespasser?” She heard someone else say, followed by the cocking sound of a couple of weapons.

“I’m a Wolf, don’t shoot!” Abby raised her hands up in defense, taking a few steps forward “It’s me, it’s Abby!”

“Abby?” The Wolf finally recognized her and lowered his gun, gesturing for the others to do the same “It’s Abby. Shit. Open the goddamn gate.”

The blonde rubbed her eyes, glad the light wasn’t hitting her face anymore, and crossed the gate, nodding at the familiar faces “Hey, guys.” She acted cool, waiting to see if they were going to say something.

“Jesus, you swim here?” One of the Wolves approached her, eyeing her wet clothes.

“Uh, yeah, boat got fucked not too far from here.” She answered him casually; it’s not like it hadn’t happened before.

“Oh, alright. We can send someone there to retrieve it.” He offered.

“Sure.” Abby licked her lips and then turned to the other Wolf “I’m here to grab some medical supplies. I’m doing a thing for Isaac.”

She watched as a flicker of confusion crossed the guy’s face “Well, we’re moving all these assets _to_ Isaac. We should be back at the FOB by night time. Besides, I thought I heard he was looking for you earlier.”

 _Shit. Come up with something!_ “Yeah, it’s just that there’s been an emergency and he sent me to get some things in advance.” Abby replied, not breaking eye contact “I should be making my way back by now, but the boat thing kinda slowed me down.”

“Uh, right, well…” The Wolf seemed to have believed her and then looked around the place, scratching the back of his neck “Everything’s getting moved out and packed up, but take a look and see if anyone’s got what you need.”

“Okay, thanks. Oh, Nora still around?” The blonde asked before they could go back to their posts.

“I think she’s still inside handling the inventory. Maybe she can help you.”

“Alright.” Abby nodded and headed towards the main area right in front of the hospital’s main entrance. There were a lot of crates pilled around, dated back to the FEDRA intervention, but most of the area had been organized into sections by the Wolves. Two large tents were placed on opposite directions, one working as their communication center, with a radio and few other electronic devices, and the other one handling the dispatch of goods. There was also a fair amount of Wolves around patrolling the area since it was an important outpost with valuable supplies inside. No wonder Isaac was sending most of them to the FOB; they would definitely need them for the attack on the island.

Having no time to lose, Abby decided to just go inside and look for her friend; she was sure Nora would help her, even if she didn’t have the chance to explain what was happening. She opened the double doors of the main entrance, meeting another Wolf who was packing up some things in the lobby.

“Abby, hi.” The young woman smiled at her “They got you out here too?” She asked, closing one of the boxes.

“Yeah, busy day.” The blonde sighed “Have you seen Nora? I needed to t-”

Abby didn’t get the chance to finish her sentence, because the doubled doors opened again and three Wolves walked in quickly “Abby!” One of them said, making her turn back in his direction “Just checked in with Isaac and you’re not supposed to be here. He wants you back at the FOB immediately.”

 _Fuck, that was fast._ “Let me talk to Isaac.” She eyed the three of them, wondering how she would talk her way out of that.

“You can talk to him in person. C’mon.” The guy then gestured to one of the other Wolves “Grab her stuff.”

“What? Okay, hold on…” Abby took a step back as the man reached out for her backpack and the gun holstered on her hip.

“Hey, you can’t do this.” The woman Abby was talking to before tried to intervene, probably confused at the sight in front of her.

“She’s been AWOL since yesterday.” The guy explained and then looked back at Abby with a frown, taking a pair of cuffs out of his pocket “Now gimme your hands.”

 _Handcuffs? Really?_ Abby huffed, shaking her head “This is bullshit.”

“I’m just following his orders.” It didn’t seem like he was going to back away, so the blonde simply sighed and held her wrists together. _I can’t believe this is happening._

The Wolf locked the cuffs around her hands and then they started to head towards the stairs that led to the upper floors “You’re going back with the next shipment.” He explained as they turned left and continued on down one of the corridors, which was poorly lit by some flickering lights “I’ll come back to get you in 30 or so minutes. Meanwhile…” The Wolf stared right at Abby’s face while he locked her up around the railings inside a broken elevator, leaving her sat down on the floor “Don’t try anything.”

Abby pulled on the cuffs, but they wouldn’t bulge “Listen, can’t we just talk? I’m sure there’s been a misunderstanding.”

“Deal with your problems with Isaac. I want no part in this.” The guy simply turned around, heading back towards the way they came.

“Hey, wait up!” Abby shouted as his footsteps faded away in the distance “Hey!” She pulled on the cuffs again, groaning in frustration “Son of a bitch.” Abby rested her back on the wall, closing her eyes for a second. _So much for taking a risk_ , she mused, thinking of a way to get out of there and find the supplies.

Around 15 or 20 minutes went by and the blonde couldn’t hear a single soul coming in her direction and all the waiting was driving her crazy. She thought of Lev and how he must have been wondering why she was taking so long, but she was literally stuck; no matter how much she pulled on the cuffs or squeezed her hands, the lock wouldn’t bulge, let alone the metal railing that the chain was attached to.

“Hey!” The blonde yelled again “Can someone hear me? Let me the fuck out!” She struggled with the cuffs again, noticing how her wrists were getting red from all the friction.

Abby was so focused on finding a way to get rid of the metal object she didn’t even notice someone approach the elevator and stop right at the entrance “You’re going to dislocate your shoulder.”

Her eyes snapped up immediately “Nora.” Abby sighed in relief upon seeing her friend.

“Wow.” Nora dropped the bag she was holding and took a few steps forward “I never thought I’d see you on Isaac’s bad side.” Nora’s voice was calm as usual, but Abby could sense a layer of worry underneath it “Here.” She reached inside one of her pockets and grabbed a key, unlocking the cuffs around Abby’s hands in a few seconds.

“Thanks.” The blonde pushed the cuffs away, rubbing her wrists, and then reached out for her backpack Nora had left near the door.

“You find Owen at the Aquarium?” Nora’s question caught her off guard and she looked back at her friend, still kneeling on the floor “I talked to Manny.”

“Uh, yeah.” Abby answered, and then got up to her feet once she retrieved a piece of paper from her bag “I need some medical supplies.”

“Why? What happened to him?” The doctor asked, probably assuming Abby was talking about Owen.

“No, it’s not…” Abby sighed, licking her lips “He’s fine, it’s just that… Someone helped him get to the Aquarium safely, but now they’re hurt. I can’t explain everything right now, but Mel’s there and she’s helping too. I just need these.” Abby handed the paper with the supplies’ list to Nora, who took it while still holding a confused look on her face.

“Okay.” Nora read the note, her eyes widening a little bit “Most of these supplies have been packed and shipped already.” _Oh no, fuck_. Abby sighed, dropping her head down in disappointment. “Unless…”

Abby looked at Nora again “What?”

“We haven’t cleared out the lower floors yet…” She explained vaguely.

“Will they have what I need?” Abby asked, taking her bag from the floor and putting it on her shoulders.

It was Nora’s turn to sigh “Yeah, probably, but… It’s rough down there.”

 _Compared to what I’ve faced these past couple of days, I’m sure it’s nothing_ , Abby mused before replying “I’ll be fine.”

Nora remained in silence for a few seconds, eyeing Abby carefully as if she was trying to understand what her friend was actually up to “Right. I’ll take you there.” She handed the note back to Abby, but before the blonde could grab it, she pulled it back a few inches “Are you sure everything’s okay?”

Abby stared at her friend and even though she wanted to tell her the truth, that was definitely not the right time “Look, I’ll tell you what I can on the way there. I just need you to trust me, alright?”

The doctor finally let Abby grab the note, which she stashed in the back pocket of her jeans “You get caught, I had nothing to do with this.” It was all Nora said before she started to lead the way downstairs.

“Of course.” Abby followed her friend, hoping they wouldn’t run into anyone along the way.

“So, you mentioned Mel.” Nora said after a few minutes “She managed to get to the Aquarium just fine?”

“Uh, yeah.” Abby answered with no further explanation.

“Manny said she was planning on stealing a truck after Isaac pressed her on this morning. So much for keeping her in the dark about Owen… At least he’s okay.” Nora said as they turned left on another corridor.

“Manny was supposed to cover me up. I don’t know how Isaac figured it out so fast.” Abby hoped her friend was okay as well.

“Well, you of all people should know how fucking paranoid he is. After he talked to Mel, he came to me and then Manny. Probably Jordan too.” Nora looked at Abby over her shoulder “And let me tell you, he wasn’t happy.”

“Shit.” Abby pursed her lips, knowing she was in deep trouble “Did anyone talk?”

“No! Manny’s worried sick about you.” Nora threw her a disbelieving look as they approached the middle section of the building “But I wanna know what’s going on. And be honest with me, Abby.” Before Abby could say something, they heard footsteps coming from the floor below them, and Nora gestured for the blonde to hide behind a few crates.

Abby complied and then watched as Nora approached the railing, looking downstairs “Where are you two going?” The doctor asked to whoever was down there.

“To grab Abby.” One of them answered and Abby cursed under her breath “The boat’s ready to head out.”

“Well, I still got boxes on the third floor.” Nora said “Can you two bring them first?”

“Boat’s pretty full.” The other woman replied.

“C’mon, I don’t wanna be here all day.” The doctor opened her arms, sounding impatient.

“Fine.” The Wolf’s reply sounded more like a complaint, but after a few seconds, Abby heard their footsteps fading away and a door being closed in the distance.

“Thanks!” Nora shouted and then mentioned for Abby to move on, heading towards the stairs “This way, come.” They both climbed down a flight of stairs and after checking if the lobby was clear, Nora told Abby to follow her “So, care to tell me what’s really going on?”

The blonde followed her friend as they crossed what seemed to have been the hospital’s cafeteria back in the day, and then headed towards another corridor “Look, Owen’s not coming back. He and Mel are leaving for Santa Barbara tomorrow.” Abby was being as truthful as she could.

“What? And Mel really agreed with that?” Nora asked.

“Isaac is not taking him back, not after this whole mess. And Owen doesn’t want it either, anyway. But…” Abby thought about the circumstances they all found themselves in and how everything seemed to be leading up to something bad “Mel wants you to come too. And the others. The boat’s got enough room.”

Nora guided her through a messy corridor, filled with medical junk, and then both women squeezed through a gap on a glass door, which led to another area of the hospital, this one not powered by the generator “Well, not to sound like a smartass, but…” Nora turned on a flashlight she had attached on her belt “I’d rather stay on a sinking ship than on a sinking sailboat.”

Abby got her friend’s point, but she still thought Nora had a better chance of making it if she got away from this mess “I get it, yeah. You’ve said it yourself though, Isaac’s got his eyes on us. And this attack tomorrow on the island… Who the hell knows what’s going to happen afterwards?”

“How come you changed your mind so quickly about this? I thought you were the first one to rule out Owen’s plan to go to California.” Nora stopped walking, taking a moment to turn around and look at Abby, who had also turned on her flashlight.

“Well, that was before this whole… deserter thing.” Abby explained like it was the obvious. Sure, it was also the fact that she was helping two Scar kids and that Tommy Miller was still being held somewhere around the FOB, but Nora didn’t need to know about that, at least not now.

“I just can’t help but to feel like there’s something more to this, but I can’t quite put my finger on it.” Nora cocked her head to the side and Abby hoped the poor lighting had been enough to hide the droplets of sweat across her forehead.

 _Shit, Nora_. The blonde knew her friend could see right through her, but now wasn’t the moment to have that conversation. Abby was in a hurry, Lev was probably freaking out outside, and she still didn’t have the supplies yet. _What the fuck are you even doing, Abby?_ “Owen can’t stay here anymore and we gotta stick together. That’s how it has always been, right? With all of us.” Abby didn’t exactly deny her friend’s words, but simply answered with something that Nora knew it was true.

The doctor nodded and Abby was glad she didn’t press on “You still leading the attack with Manny?”

“I really don’t know.” Abby shrugged, being completely honest this time “It depends on what Isaac will do once he sees me tomorrow. I think he’d rather send me to die on that island than to kill me in the spot.”

“Both are terrible options. But alright, listen…” Nora sighed, shaking her head a little “I’m gonna come back to the FOB tonight with the shipment, that way I won’t raise any suspicions. Then I’m gonna talk to Manny and Jordan and… Leah hasn’t come back from the TV station yet, they sent a team to check on her unit and I have no idea where Nick is, but…” Abby locked her jaw at the mention of her dead friend and she wondered if the same had happened to Leah. “Either way, I’ll talk to them and see how we can get to the Aquarium if that’s what they really want.”

“Okay. I’m sure I can buy you guys some time after I’m back. I just need to deliver the supplies.” Abby was actually dreading her return to the FOB, but it needed to be done.

“Alright, let’s keep moving.” Nora led the way again, this time opening a sliding door so they could reach yet another long corridor “These floors have the ICU, the Trauma Center and a few surgical suites.” The doctor explained “There’s a reason why we haven’t touched this area yet. It was ground zero for the whole city… Where they brought the first infected before anyone knew better. It’s gonna be overgrown to shit.”

“Awesome.” Abby replied ironically, following Nora as they walked down the corridor, with lots of medical equipment, chairs and beds scattered around.

“Worst case, look for ambulances. They’re contained and I’ve gotten lucky before.” Nora gave her a final advice before stopping in front of a large wooden door; the sign next to it read Oncology Center “Oh, before I forget.” Nora reached behind her cargo pants and retrieved a weapon “Managed to get this back for you.”

“Thanks.” Abby took her pistol, settling it on the holster on her hip “Gonna need any gun power I have left.” The blonde then reached for the doorknob, but stopped when she felt Nora’s hand on her arm.

“Be careful down there.” Nora said softly.

Abby gave her a tight smile and turned the knob “I will.”

And with that, Abby ventured inside after hearing the click of the door closing behind her.

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**Ellie – Seattle Day 2**

Wiping the sweat she felt running down her forehead, Ellie tried to find a way across the store she found herself in after killing the three Scars that had ambushed her. She knew it was just a matter of time before more of them showed up, so getting out of there was her top priority at the moment, not to mention that she needed to find somewhere safe enough to take care of the arrow wound on her arm since she was still bleeding. Heading to the back of the store, Ellie entered the back office and then what seemed to be the storage room; preventing anyone from coming after her that way, the girl pushed a big locker onto the door, blocking it for good.

 _Now to find a way out_. The ceiling of the room had crashed down, leaving a huge hole right in the middle of the building, and Ellie could see the second floor and cloudy sky right above her. Using some of the concrete blocks that had fallen over, the girl managed to climb up to the next floor and quickly found her way to the stairs, hoping they wouldn’t be blocked. Ellie sighed in relief seeing that they weren’t, so she went up until she reached the roof; her eyes scanned the buildings in the distance and she was glad to see how close to the hospital she finally was. _It was about time_.

Before moving on though, Ellie sat down behind a metal crate and started to go through her bag, pulling out a couple of rags, some bandages and a small bottle of alcohol. Lifting the bloody sleeve of her shirt, the girl took a better look at the wound; it wasn’t so deep, but the arrowhead had definitely ripped the skin a bit and she would need stitches. But she would have to worry about that later, because she just wanted to patch herself up real quick and head to the hospital; she had lost too much time already. With that in mind, Ellie doused one of the rags with alcohol and pressed it on the wound for a few seconds, feeling her skin burn. _Fuck_. Sucking in the pain, she finished cleaning the wound and then wrapped the bandage around her arm, hoping that would stop the bleeding for good. Once she was done, Ellie put everything back in her bag and threw it over her shoulders, getting up to her feet; she could feel some of her muscles sore for the previous battle, but it was nothing she couldn’t handle.

Approaching the edge of the roof, Ellie saw that most of the area leading to the hospital was flooded, which meant she would have to swim her way there. There was a ladder on the side of the building, so the girl climbed down the steps until she was close to the water and then jumped down into it. The water was cold and it extended forward on what was once a street on that area, since there were a lot of cars and trucks on the sides. Ellie kept swimming quietly, not really knowing what to expect, until she spotted a bright light in the distance. _Shit. It’s right there_. Hiding herself behind some bushes near the water, the girl saw part of a metal fence not too far away from her, which seemed to mark the perimeter around the hospital, and a big searchlight on top of a watch tower on the other side of the fence. _High security. Fuck_.

“Did you find her yet?” Ellie heard a woman ask quite annoyed at whoever she was talking to.

“She escaped when no one was looking.” Another person, who Ellie assumed was a Wolf, replied right away “We’re searching the area, just in case she’s still around.”

 _Dammit, they’re already on alert? Who the fuck are they talking about?_ Ellie mused while she moved quietly to her right, going under a log that had fallen across the water.

“Isaac’s not happy about it.” The woman’s voice was a little bit further now, but Ellie recognized the name.

 _Isaac, their leader. I don’t understand, are they talking about a prisoner?_ Ellie wished it was about Tommy, but since they mentioned a ‘she’, it couldn’t be him. Whoever it was though, maybe the Wolves would get distracted enough and Ellie would find a way to sneak into the hospital unseen and look for Nora. The girl swam all the way to the right until she came to a dead end, but looking down the water, Ellie could see there was a passage to the other side, so she took a deep breath and went underwater, reaching the next area in a few seconds.

The girl was now inside of a building, still partially flooded, and moving forward she reached a metal gate similar to the one of a garage. Knowing they usually open from the bottom, Ellie dived again, squeezing through a tight gap where a bunch of junk was keeping the gate from closing, and emerged on the other side. The room looked like the machinery level of the hospital, since there were many pipes and tanks half-submerged in the water, and it was illuminated by a bright fluorescent lantern, but what caught Ellie’s attention was someone sitting on a wooden stool on the higher part of the room, keeping their back to her.

She moved slowly in the water, not wanting to make any sound, and upon close inspection, Ellie could see the Wolf was a young woman, who apparently was wearing headphones and bobbing to the beat of whatever song she was listening to. Deciding to take advantage of that moment of distraction, Ellie got out of the water right behind the Wolf and pulled out her switchblade, holding it to the girl’s throat.

The Wolf gasped and froze in place while Ellie threw her headphones away, pressing the blade on her skin “Don’t make a fucking sound.” She threatened through gritted teeth “Hands up.” Holding an electronic device on one of her hands, the Wolf raised both arms up, following Ellie’s orders “You know a girl named Nora?”

“Yeah, sure.” She answered quickly without hesitation.

“Where is she?” Ellie demanded.

“In the hospital.” The Wolf breathed out, but when Ellie pressed the blade a little bit more, she continued “They’re clearing out the upper floors. She’s somewhere in there.”

 _So she’s still here_. Ellie’s mind was racing, thrilled with the fact that she hadn’t missed the woman, but in that brief moment of distraction, the Wolf reached for a knife in her pocket and turned around, trying to stab her assaulter. Ellie was faster though, and grabbed her arm with her left hand, pushing it back; the girl struggled, clearly lacking strength, and then Ellie simply sank her blade into the Wolf’s neck. Ellie pulled it out just as fast and watched as the girl agonized in pain on the floor, with blood spilling everywhere.

 _Fuck_. _Fuck_. “That was dumb.” Ellie mumbled to herself as she cleaned the blade on the side of her jeans, putting it back in her back pocket. _I have to keep moving before they find this mess. Fuck_. Looking around, she ahead towards the only available path, which was a flight of stairs leading up. There was a metal door at the top and, slowly, Ellie opened it up, expecting another room or something, but it actually led to the outside area, where Ellie could see tall grass covering most of the area and some Wolves talking to each other not too far away from her.

 _Shit_. How do I get upstairs? Still hidden, Ellie waited until two Wolves turned left on a corner and then closed the door behind her, quickly making her way over to the tall grass, glad to see there were many crates pilled around the area as well, which would give her some cover. Ellie could see the watch tower from up close now, noticing how there was a sniper posted at the top. _I have to get him first_.

“Hey, did you hear why we’re all getting called up to the FOB?” Ellie remained still when she heard the voice of another Wolf a few feet away from her. _The FOB. Is that one of their outposts?_

“Yeah, I heard Isaac’s cooking up another strategy against the Scars. Wants us all ready to strike.” A guy answered while Ellie scanned the rest of the place from her position. She could see a white military tent to her right and a group of Wolves talking to each other near a truck on the far back of the area. They all seemed heavily armored, so Ellie knew that whatever she decided to do, it needed to be done quietly.

Getting her bow ready, the girl pulled out an arrow from her bag and turned her gaze back to the sniper at the watch tower; if she could get him first, she would be able to climb it and then jump over to the catwalk just outside of the building on the second floor. She waited until all the Wolves were relatively far from her and then shot an arrow at the sniper, hitting the back of his head just when he was making a turn to the left. The guy fell backwards, disappearing completely from her line of sight, but Ellie froze in place when she heard a Wolf’s voice.

“Did you hear that?” A man said, and Ellie peeked from behind her cover to see two Wolves carrying a couple of boxes each.

“What?” His partner adjusted the weight of the boxes on his arms.

The other Wolf looked around, apparently confused “I don’t know, thought I’d heard something.”

“Musta been the dogs, man. Now c’mon, let’s get these boxes to the boat. They’re heavy as hell.”

Ellie sighed in relief when the two Wolves just kept walking, but now that she knew dogs were also patrolling the place, it meant she would have to be extra careful since it was easier for them to track her down. Making sure she was in the clear, Ellie moved quickly to the base of the tower, keeping her back to the metal structure. There was a ladder right on the inside part of it, so the girl climbed the steps and reached the top, remaining crouched behind the railings, which had metal panels that prevented anyone from seeing her from that position. _Okay, now what?_

Circling the tower, Ellie approached the edge and jumped over to the catwalk on the side of the building, quickly making her way inside before anyone could see her. Hiding behind a large couch, the girl realized she was in some sort of lobby, and she could hear footsteps and muffled voices coming from pretty much every direction. _Shit._ Ellie grabbed another arrow from her bag, keeping it ready. _I need to keep moving up._

She started to move slowly, turning into the corridor closest to her and using the old furniture and medical equipment around as cover. Ellie decided to keep an eye on the signs on the walls and doors, which would help her get understand her surroundings a bit; she needed to find the stairs so she wouldn’t risk being seen in such a wide space. Peeking around the corner, she could see two Wolves pilling more boxes in the far back, near the windows, and another one by the room on her right, which had the door opened. As she decided which way to go, Ellie noticed a faded blue sign in one of the pillars, which had an arrow point left with the words ‘3rd floor’.

Following the directions, Ellie passed by the room where she saw the Wolf and entered the first door she could find on the left, since she didn’t want to be seen by the ones in the end of the corridor. She kept moving, glad that most of the rooms were connected and seemed to have multiple exits; before she knew it, she could see an exit sign above a set of doubled doors and quickly made her way to it. She head inside and, seeing a couple of crates near the bottom of the stairs, decided to pushed them in order to block the door, which would buy her some time in case someone found the sniper body outside.

 _Upper floors_ , Ellie mused as she went up the stairs. _Nora should be somewhere around here_. Ellie opened yet another door and even though it was a bit dark, she kept her flashlight off, not wanting to draw any attention. She turned left on the next corridor, since the other way was blocked, and kept her back to the wall, peeking ahead every chance she had in order not to get caught in the middle of this maze of corridors. As she stepped forward though, the girl started to hear a faint sound of music echoing through the walls right ahead of her, which meant there were people nearby. _Is that you, Nora?_ Ellie stepped into a small office with a few chairs, a desk and a lot of paperwork scattered on the floor, and listened closely to what seemed to be voices talking over the music. Knowing she couldn’t just walk into them, the girl looked around and saw a vent opening right above a locker, which she used as leverage to climb and reach the passageway; it was tight, but Ellie had no trouble fitting in, crouching forward and slowly going over the grids, which gave her a bit of insight on the rooms below her.

On the first one, Ellie could see a Wolf packing some kind of supplies into a box; it was a white woman with straight hair tied on the top of her head on a tight bun, so Ellie knew it wasn’t Nora based on the photograph she had seen. The girl kept going through the vent, turning left on the tunnel when she heard more voices coming from down below.

“You know, maybe if you posted more guards, Abby would still be in her cell.” Ellie heard a female, raspy voice say and she quickly looked down through the grids. _Wait, Abby was here? She was the fucking prisoner they were talking about?_

“I’m not stupid.” A man answered this time and Ellie could see he was accompanied by another Wolf, and the woman they were talking to definitely looked like Nora “You’re gonna tell us where she went.”

Ellie frowned, totally confused by their conversation. _So Abby was being held here at the hospital for whatever reason, but she managed to escape and now they’re looking for her. Does it mean she’s still here?_

“Knock yourself out.” Nora answered, ignoring the other Wolves as she kept her head down, writing something on the clipboard she was holding “I’ve got work to do.” She turned around and headed to another room, closing the door behind her.

“Nora!” One of the Wolves called out her name, but then sighed in resignation “C’mon. I’m not going down for her, man.” He said to his partner and they both left, closing another door.

Ellie heard their footsteps disappear in the distance and then kept moving through the vent, hoping to catch up with Nora in the next room. There was a closed grid marking the end of the vent ahead of her and, after making sure no one else was in the corridor down below, Ellie pushed the grid open slowly and jumped down, landing on the floor with a soft thud. There was a faint light coming from inside the room Nora had walked into and Ellie could hear the sound of metal clinking together and then the occasional rustle of papers. _This is it_. The girl’s heart was beating fast in anticipation and, after taking her pistol and unlocking the safety, she opened the door and entered the room.

“Don’t scream.” Ellie said in a low voice, keeping her gun pointed at the woman in front of her.

Nora was by the counter, and she turned around immediately, holding a small metal tray in her hands with some medical tools in it. The soft click of the door closing behind Ellie was the only sound she heard before the room was filled with silence. Her eyes bore into the Wolf woman, analyzing her features carefully to see if she really was the person in the pictures. And she was, there was no doubt about it.

“Put that shit down.” The girl ordered, her chin pointing at Nora’s hands, and the woman carefully set the tray on the counter next to her, raising her hands in defense.

“Do I know you?” The woman asked, narrowing her eyes at Ellie, who simply shook her head slightly.

“No. But I know who you are.” Ellie replied in disdain as she watched Nora’s brow furrow in confusion as if she was trying to remember something.

“What do you want? Supplies?” Nora asked, still keeping her hands up “I can give you what I have here, but that doesn’t mean you’re not gonna get shot the moment you step out in that corridor.”

“Where’s Abby?” Ellie ignored her completely “I know she was here earlier.”

If Nora looked confused before, Ellie could see that she was definitely caught by surprise by her question “What?”

“Abby, you and another guy went to Jackson, Wyoming…” Ellie started, her finger hovering the pistol’s trigger “You helped her ambush and kill a man called Joel Miller. So where the fuck is she now?” She pretty much spat the last few words.

A flash of recognition crossed Nora’s face and she licked her dried lips “I don’t know.” Ellie took a step forward, her gun still pointed at Nora’s head “You shoot me…” The Wolf backed away as much as she could, her back hitting the counter behind her “The sound will have every soldier come running.”

“You’ll still be dead.” The girl retorted quickly, not really caring “Now where the fuck is Abby?”

“You know…” Nora said after a few seconds, her gaze suddenly lost at a random point on the floor in the middle of the room “It was her idea. She wanted to do it, she wanted to kill him. But… But after it was over and he was lying on a pool of blood on the floor…” There was a pause and then Nora looked right back at her “I wished I woulda smashed his head myself.”

Ellie felt the rage overcome her body and she knew she wanted that bitch dead “You fucking cunt!” She yelled, pulling the trigger of her pistol.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, if you're enjoying this story so far, please consider leaving a comment down below, I can assure you each one of them is very much appreciated.
> 
> Things are starting to heat up and I'm excited to share the next chapter with you, so I'll see you all next week!
> 
> Take care and stay safe!
> 
> xx


	24. Nora Harris

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello there, everyone.
> 
> New chapter coming in, hope you guys like it! Once again, thanks for the support you've been giving this story, it means a lot to me. :)
> 
> xx
> 
> TW: violence/torture

#  **Chapter 024 – Nora Harris**

**Ellie – Seattle Day 2**

Blinded by rage, Ellie pulled the trigger, hoping the bullet would sink into the Wolf’s skull, but she wasn’t expecting Nora’s simultaneous reaction, which was to throw the metal tray right at the girl’s face, making the bullet ricochet on the wall behind her.

“Help! Trespasser!” Nora yelled, making a run for the other door in the room.

Ellie groaned, holding onto her face where the object had hit her, but then she quickly started to run after Nora, chasing her through the rooms and corridors while the woman pushed boxes and other random stuff on the floor so they would get on Ellie’s way. If the place looked like a maze when Ellie was infiltrating it quietly earlier, it seemed even worse now with Nora zigzagging at full speed, trying to get away as both women went deeper into the hospital. Nora turned left on another corridor, pushing a metal bed to partially block the doorway, but Ellie jumped over it, her sneakers sliding on the floor as she turned around to keep going after the Wolf. Nora ran towards a set of double doors in the end of the corridor and quickly closed it; before Ellie could reach the doorknob, the woman pushed down what seemed to be a vending machine, blocking the door on the other side.

“Fuck!” Ellie yelled, looking around frenetically for another way around. The room adjacent to her had glass windows though, so the girl used the back of her pistol to break one of them, jumping over the window and making her way to the next corridor.

“Shoot her!” Ellie heard the Wolf shout at someone as she reached a fair large room with some chairs and tables in the far back, before turning right. Ellie crossed the room without slowing down, since Nora was already getting some distance.

“Stop! Trespasser!” Gunshots were fired from the balcony on the floor above them, but Ellie just ducked down quickly, turning right where Nora had gone.

Ellie kept chasing her through a much messier corridor, filled with medical junk just lying around, making it difficult to navigate any faster. Nora turned right again into another section of the hospital and Ellie flickered her flashlight on, noticing how the generator lights didn’t reach that particular area. That split second of darkness though, made the girl lose sight of Nora, and she found herself running into a dead end, completely blocked by some old medical equipment. _No, no, no… Where is she?_ The sound of a door closing on the opposite side of the room made Ellie snap her head in that direction, running towards the sound.

“Nora!” She yelled, focused on not letting the woman get away.

Ellie kicked open the door, just in time to see Nora jump over a broken window and get out of the room, running down another corridor. The girl followed her close, jumping over an elevator shaft, which was where she had last seen the Wolf’s silhouette disappear. However, when Ellie made it to the other side, Nora tackled her into some nearby shelves, punching her once in the face; Ellie struggled, pushing her back, but Nora managed to grab her by her shirt, throwing them both on the floor and then pinning her down. Without thinking twice, Ellie went for the switchblade on her back pocket, but before she could strike the Wolf, Nora held her arm with both hands, pushing the blade away. Getting advantage from her upper position, Nora managed to swing another punch at Ellie’s face before she ran away again, closing a metal door on the other side of the room.

Getting up to her feet as fast as she could, Ellie went over to the door and started to push it open; she could see that there was something blocking it on the other side, but if she could just manage to open a small gap, she would be able to squeeze through. Ellie banged on it with her shoulder one, two times, forcing it with everything that she got, until another door on her right was slammed open suddenly, and a group of Wolves walked in.

“C’mon!” Ellie banged on the door one last time, just enough to make room for her, and then she squeezed through to the other side, not even minding to barricade it again since Nora was just down the hall and she couldn’t risk losing her.

“Throw down your weapons!” She heard a Wolf shout behind her, but she kept running, barging into the double doors she had seen Nora pass through.

Ellie was caught by surprise when she saw the woman just standing there with her hands up and, looking right behind her, the girl could see a huge hole on the floor, which made it impossible for them to move forward.

“No, no, wait.” Nora started, but Ellie already had her pistol in hand, her mind racing with thoughts on what to do now.

Seeing that the group of Wolves was approaching them quickly, Ellie then grabbed Nora by her neck and stood behind her, one step close to the edge of the hole. “Back up!” She yelled, pointing her gun at the three armed men now in front of her, their flashlights shining bright on her face.

“Put your gun down!” One of them said, but that simply wasn’t an option for Ellie “Gun down, hands up!”

“Get back!” Ellie shouted, breathing heavily, knowing she was trapped; her eyes alternating between the rifles pointed at her.

“You have nowhere to go.” The man said once more, slowly taking a step forward.

Ellie glanced quickly over her shoulder, eyeing the hole that led to the floor below them; there was a red light faintly illuminating the place, but other than that, it was hard to see anything. _Fuck, fuck_. She would have to jump, it was the only way. _Do it, just fucking do it_. In a swift motion, the girl turned around, still holding onto Nora, and rolled them both down the hole.

“No!” Nora yelled as she fell forward, going down the pile of rubble caused by whatever had destroyed that section.

Ellie groaned, landing hard on her back, and the first thing she noticed once she opened her eyes was some small particles dancing around the beam of light of her flashlight. _Spores_. Soon after that, she heard Nora coughing hard as she dragged herself away from the girl, getting to her feet and stumbling forward.

Still shaken by the fall, Ellie slowly got up from the floor as well, but before she could run after Nora, who headed towards an exit door in the opposite side of the room, a couple of gunshots were fired in her direction and she had to quickly make her way behind a desk, seeking cover.

“There, take her out!” A Wolf shouted, and she watched as they started to come down the hole “Masks on!”

 _Shit, if they see me, I’m fucked!_ Ellie cursed herself mentally, realizing the predicament she found herself in. They couldn’t see her breathing spores like that, otherwise they would know about her condition, and the unknown implications of that suddenly made her feel scared. _Damn it, what do I do?_ She looked around, trying her best to scan the room under the low red emergency lights.

“The fuck’s the power doing on?” One of the Wolves said as they spread around looking for Ellie.

The girl was still hidden behind a desk and, upon glancing at the back of the room, she heard a faint clicking sound coming from behind a counter. _Perfect_. Seeing the opportunity to create a distraction, Ellie backed away a little, positioning herself behind a hospital bed, with both hands holding the metal grid. As soon as one of the Wolves got close enough, Ellie pushed the bed against him, its wheels making a screeching sound as they rolled on the floor.

The Wolf fell on his back, taken by surprise “What the f- Shoot her!” He yelled once he realized what was going on, but quickly snapped his head left when loud shrieks and screams echoed through the room “Shit!” Attracted by all the noise, a handful of clickers emerged from the back of the room, clumsily going over the counter.

“Infected!” Another Wolf shouted, turning around from where he had last seen Ellie to the group of clickers, just in time to see the guy who was getting up from the floor being tackled by the closest infected “Travis!”

Keeping herself out of sight, Ellie tried to stay as far away from all the chaos as possible, hoping they would just kill each other. _I need to get the fuck outta here_ , she thought, eyeing the door Nora had gone through a couple of minutes ago. Deciding to just make a run for it, Ellie crossed the room at full speed, hearing gunshots and screaming coming from everywhere, and then pushed the door open with a slam, quickly closing it behind her and using a metal chair that was near her to block the doorknob, preventing anyone from the other side to come in, human or not.

Safe for the time being, Ellie turned around, her flashlight illuminating the overgrown fungus on the corners of the walls and ceiling, which meant she needed to hurry before the infected took care of Nora. Or before she turned; with the amount of spores the Wolf was breathing, Ellie was sure she wasn’t going to last long. As she walked through the messy corridor, Ellie heard some coughing coming from down the path, so she just followed the sound, entering one of the rooms as it kept getting closer and closer. Squeezing through some knocked out shelves that were partially blocking the way, Ellie saw the same red emergency lights glowing behind a glass door in the far back of the room; approaching it slowly, the girl pulled it open, hearing Nora’s coughing echoing loudly on the corridor.

Looking at her left, Ellie watched as the Wolf reached another set of doubled doors, but seemingly having no more strength left, she just pressed her back against it, sliding down to the floor as she wheezed harshly, having a hard time breathing. _There you are, you fucking bitch_.

“Just you and me now.” Ellie said, taking a couple of steps towards the woman, who backed away even more against the door even though she had nowhere else to go.

“Oh gosh… What… How?” Nora gasped, taking another intake of air as she stared at Ellie, one hand tugging at her own neck “You’re breathing spores, you’re... It’s you. You’re her.”

Ellie just cleaned a bit of dried blood from the corner of her mouth with the back of her hand and took the last remaining steps until she was right in front of Nora. _How does she know that?_ “You’re a Firefly?” Ellie thought of the only possible way.

In a desperate attempt, Nora reached out behind her and grabbed a pipe that had fallen off its connection, swinging it carelessly towards Ellie. The girl dodged the first swing easily and when Nora tried it for a second time, Ellie grabbed it from her hands, and then hit the Wolf hard with it.

“Well, that was just dumb.” She said as Nora groaned in pain, seeing her arm go limp from the impact. The Wolf coughed some more and pushed her back against the door one more time, completely spent. “Now answer me.” Ellie pressed on, still holding the metal pipe on her hands.

“There are no Fireflies anymore.” She said in a strained voice, breathing heavily.

Ellie paced around, trying to piece things together. If Nora recognized her as the immune girl, it meant she had been a Firefly before, since they were the only ones to know about her condition. Does that mean she was one of the remaining members who disbanded, just like the woman from the tape Ellie had found at the hospital in Salt Lake City had said? Ellie couldn’t find the connection between them, the WLF and Joel.

“Why did you go to Jackson? Why were you after Joel?” She asked, eager for answers.

Nora chuckled, which quickly turned into another coughing fit “I’m dead anyway.” She spat out after another intake of air and Ellie could see the veins on the woman’s arms and face get more prominent, as well as the blood coming out of her nostrils “I’m not telling you shit.”

Ellie dragged the pipe on the floor, not breaking eye contact with the woman as she crouched in front of her “Are you sure? Cause I can make things quick.” The girl threatened in a calm voice, even though she was boiling inside; in the far distance, there was a rumbling deep sound that echoed through the walls and Ellie felt like it just helped her prove her point “Or I can let you turn into a fucking runner with a broken arm.” She got up to her feet, watching as Nora followed her with her eyes, swallowing hard.

“How many are dead because of him?” Nora licked her dried lips “After seeing what he did, what he destroyed… He got what he deserved.”

This time, it was Ellie who took a deep breath, trying to keep her shit together and not simply smack the Wolf in the head until she stopped moving. Ellie needed more.

“Where’s Abby?” The girl focused on the most important piece of the puzzle since Nora wouldn’t last that much.

“I don’t-”

Before Nora could finish her sentence, Ellie raised the pipe until it was resting on the Wolf’s chin “And don’t you fucking lie to me, cause I know she was here earlier.”

Nora breathed heavily again, gasping as if she couldn’t get the air into her lungs “She… She must be gone by now.”

“Where to?” Ellie replied quickly.

The Wolf just shook her head, closing her eyes for a brief moment before looking at Ellie again “I’m not giving up my friend.”

Ellie then took a step back, knowing it would come to that “It’s your last chance.” She waited a few more seconds and when Nora didn’t say anything else, the girl held the pipe tight on her hands and took a swing right at the woman’s face.

Nora screamed as blood splattered across her shirt and the door behind her, the liquid glowing faintly under the red emergency lights. Raising the pipe once more, Ellie slammed it onto Nora again, watching as she stumbled to the side a bit, her scream followed by another coughing fit as she gasped for air. Ellie felt her own breathing get heavier as she held the pipe on her now bloody hands, the hot liquid dripping down the metal and onto her fingers. _Why don’t you tell me, why don’t you fucking tell me, you bitch_! Ellie screamed in rage as she hit Nora for the third time, the pipe meeting the woman’s arm when she raised it in a failed attempt to defend herself.

“Oh gosh please… Stop…” She heard the woman mumble between gasps and broken sobs “Please… Please…”

Ellie stood in place, her chest moving up and down as she panted, feeling her heart race “Where is she?” The girl asked again through gritted teeth.

Nora wheezed, trying to push herself up against the door and failing miserably “The- The Aquarium… Ugh…” She breathed out, her words mixing up with the blood coming out of her mouth “Please… Just kill me… Just…” Nora pleaded when she just couldn’t take it anymore.

 _I will. I’ll fucking kill you_. Gripping the pipe even tighter on her hands, Ellie stared at the broken woman lying on the floor and just when she was about to strike Nora’s bloody face, an image of Joel’s dead body lying down on the same position flashed on her mind, and she closed her eyes, the pipe hitting the door behind Nora and opening it with a bang.

“Fuck! Fuck!” Ellie stumbled back, dropping the pipe in the process as the sound of metal hitting the ground reverberated through her ears. She held herself on one of the walls, taking a moment to catch her breath as sudden tears welled up her eyes. _The hell’s wrong with you, Ellie_? From the corner of her eyes, she could see Nora slowly dragging her beaten body across the floor into the next room, but Ellie let her be for the time being.

Reaching inside her backpack, Ellie retrieve her map and unfolded it quickly with trembling hands. _Fuck, get it together_ , she cursed herself, searching for the place Nora had mentioned; it was on the far west of the hospital, near the shore and the Ferris Wheel. Using the blood that was still coating her hands, Ellie circled the location in red, knowing that was where she should be heading next. After putting the map back on her bag, Ellie heard a noise coming from the room Nora had entered and noticed that the woman had dragged herself out of her sight, disappearing into the poorly lit area.

 _Time to finish it_ , Ellie thought, taking her pistol out of its holster. _One down, two more to go_.

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**Abby – Seattle Day 2**

After saying goodbye to Nora, Abby sighed and stared at the room in front of her. She felt guilty for keeping the truth from her best friend, but it’s not like she had another option; things have escalated quickly and she was running out of time, so waiting for the right moment to explain everything that was happening was the right call. Shaking her head a bit, Abby focused again on her task, hoping Lev was still doing okay outside of the hospital.

Looking around, she realized she was in some sort of waiting room for the patients back in the days, so she needed to find a way back in the main corridor that would lead to the other sections of the hospital. Going through a door on the far left, Abby kept following the path until she reached an atrium area, where she found a big sign on a wall that helped her get a better sense of her surroundings. _Surgery, Trauma Center, ICU_ … She read the sign, memorizing the right directions. _Guess I gotta keep heading down_. Seeing a flight of stairs right ahead, Abby decided to check the only opened room on that section, hoping she could find something useful. It was just a small office of some kind, but the girl saw two bodies lying on the ground, or at least what was left of them; there were only skeleton bones under the pieces of clothing and Abby quickly recognized the blue uniform as being FEDRA’s. She reached down and grabbed a pistol that was next to the body, taking a few bullets that were still in the clip. _Whatever happened here, they didn’t even get the chance to leave_ …

After glancing around, Abby left the room and went down the stairs to another floor; the whole place was dead silent, but the blonde knew it was just a matter of time before she ran into infected. Right up ahead, she noticed a big set of doors with a sign above it that said Intensive Care Unit and then made her way towards it. _Alright, this is it_. Abby grabbed the doorknob and turned it down, pressing her shoulder against the door, but it didn’t even move. _Of course_ , she sighed, taking a step back and realizing she would have to try her luck at the bottom floor.

The blonde approached the balcony in the middle of the atrium and looked down; despite of any other source of light other than her flashlight, she could see a few more dead bodies lying around and a yellow sign in the back with a biohazard symbol on it. _Great_. Having no other option, Abby jumped down, landing on top of some crates and then on the floor. Now closer, she noticed the bodies were also from FEDRA soldiers, who had probably been lying there for more than 20 years, rotting and decaying. _What the hell happened here_? Abby took a few steps towards the sign, seeing that it was right next to the Emergency Room door; there were some other warnings of Caution and Quarantine Zone, but it didn’t seem they had done a good job containing the infection since everyone was dead. With a deep breath, Abby grabbed her mask, already anticipating the spores, and opened the metal door.

She entered a small cubicle that seemed to have been some sort of disinfection area, with hazmat suits hanging on one of the walls, and kept following down the long improvised tunnel until she reached the first containment seal, the zipper partially opened. _Well, here we go_. With her assault rifle on her hands, Abby pushed the thick plastic of the seal aside and stepped inside, noticing right away the overgrown infection on the right wall, which had spread onto the floor. Moving on, the blonde got past the second seal and continued down the hallway, seeing a couple of hospital beds with what was left of some of the patients still restrained, their heads completely taken over by the fungus. It was hard to tell if they had turned or were simply swallowed by the infection after they had passed. _Jesus_. Abby crossed another metal door and reached the third seal, which seemed to be the last one, since the next area opened up to a much larger room, with hospital beds lined up on one side, and lots of medical equipment on the other.

She kept moving forward quietly, her boots hitting the floor in soft thuds as she glanced around some of the desks and counters, trying to find any of the supplies in the list. Turning left on the corridor, the area opened up again to another large section, and Abby could see a huge red sign that read Ambulance Drop-Off and Check-In. _Okay, that sounds promising_. She approached the also red doors, but quickly noticed how they were connected to an electronic mechanism, which make it impossible to be opened manually.

“Shit.” Abby mumbled to herself “There must be a generator or something around here.”

Turning around, she headed towards the end of the hallway, not before checking some of the improvised medical bays; they were either full of medical junk or either cleared of any useful stuff besides some basic bandages and suture kits, which Abby gladly stuffed into her bag even though it wasn’t exactly what she was looking for. As she turned left, Abby grimaced at the harshly overgrown infection on that side of the room, where limbs of dead clickers and stalkers could be seen sticking out of the walls, similar to what she had seen back at the tall building with Lev. A few feet ahead, Abby saw another door with a sign that read Trauma Center and decided to give it a try, even though it also seemed to need power in order to open.

The moment her hand touched the doorknob, a deep rumbling sound that almost seemed like a moan echoed from behind the door and reverberated through the walls. The blonde backed away slowly, eyeing the overgrown infection that was pretty much spilling from beneath the door. _What the actual fuck_ …

Giving up the Trauma Center for the time being, Abby headed the other way, already getting annoyed at her lack of options. _These supplies better fucking be in the surgery suites_ , she mused, squeezing through a gap on another metal door and entering the further section of that area. After taking a few steps forward, Abby heard a familiar clicking sound, and realized she finally had some company. _Oh, there you are_. Standing in the middle of the hallway, the blonde saw three fairly big rooms that were probably improvised to keep the patients isolated. Approaching the first one, which had a Surgery sign next to it, Abby saw through the thick glass of the metal door at least a handful of clickers roaming inside, some of them wearing ragged green scrubs or what was left of a white coat. Moving on the next one that said Recovery, Abby peeked through the glass again, seeing more clickers inside, some of them still bound to their medical beds by straps.

As she reached the last room, Abby’s eyes lit up when she read the word Supplies written in big white letters next to the door. She pressed her flashlight onto the glass, trying to illuminate the interior; she could see a few desks and many shelves on the back, and while the room had been taken over by the infection, it didn’t seem to have any infected inside. _I need to find a way in_ , she glanced around searching for a generator, since it was the only way to get the door open. On the floor, she noticed some cables that were connected to plugs on each one of the rooms and continued forward until they disappeared into a doorway in the far back.

Heading that way, Abby turned left into a smaller room and saw that the cables went over a hole on one of the walls, big enough for her to get through as well to the other side. She reached some sort or maintenance area, with tons of electric stuff and machines, and right at the corner Abby spotted a big generator where all the cables were connected to. _Alright, you better be working_. Shouldering her rifle for a moment, Abby grabbed the generator power cord and pulled it one, two, three times until the engine sound reached her ears, making her sigh in relief. Heading over to another panel near a desk on the opposite side, the blonde located the central lever and pulled it up, watching as the lights flickered for a few seconds before turning on for good.

Satisfied with her progress, Abby went over the hole again and got back to the previous area where the Supplies room was. The clickers were still inside the other rooms and Abby knew she would be fine as long as she didn’t open them. Approaching the one that she actually needed, she pushed the green button, hearing a soft click that let her know it was unlocked; Abby then turned the handle and stepped inside, noticing now that the lights were on how the walls had been completely taken by the fungus and its mold, not to mention some humanoid figures sticking to it, creating a bumpy and disgusting wallpaper.

Keeping her eyes sharp and her rifle ready in case something decided to jump on her, Abby made her way to the shelves in the back, scanning the labels of the bottles for something useful. She recognized some of the names from what she had learned from her father and grabbed the ones she knew would help Yara in her recovery, like antibiotics and painkillers, putting them into her bag. Going over to the desks, Abby rummaged through the drawers, finding some more bandages and a bottle of alcohol, but she still needed a surgery kit. _Shit, where is it_? She looked around, thinking that maybe she should just head to the ambulance drop-off, but then she noticed some cabinets behind a counter and decided to check them out as well.

Upon opening the small door, Abby chuckled when the first thing she saw inside was a white box with a red cross on both sides and a taped label on it that said Surgical Medical Kit For Emergencies. The blonde grabbed it quickly, afraid it would just disappear in front of her, and took a look inside to see if everything was still in there before securing it inside her bag. Now I’m good to go. Abby stepped away from the counter, shuffling her backpack on her shoulders, when suddenly an infected detached itself from one of the walls and tried to grab her.

“For fucks sake... Ah!” Abby jumped back, managing to hold the clicker back as it screeched loudly, its hands scraping the sleeves of her jacket. She shoved it away with a grunt, making the clicker hit its back on the shelves behind it, and before it could attack her again, Abby sent a burst of bullets on its chest and watched as it fell limp on the floor.

All the noise got the attention of the other infected still trapped in the rooms around her and Abby heard their muffled shrieks and screams as they banged on the doors, trying to get out. _Shit_! Abby quickly got out of the supplies room and started to head back the way she had come; she wanted to be long gone by the time the clickers managed to open the door by themselves. She squeezed through the gap on a metal door just like before and reached another hallway, but as soon as she glanced forward, Abby stopped dead in her tracks. What once was the set of doors that led to Trauma Center was now just a giant hole on the wall, the metal crushed and pushed aside like it was nothing; on the inside, the only thing Abby could see was a bloody tunnel made of the overgrown infection and lots of bodies crunched together. _What the hell is this_?

Abby felt her breathing pick up a little as her eyes scanned the floor just outside the hole, noticing a trail of blood that stretched until she could no longer see it. Following it slowly with her rifle steady on her hands, she gasp in horror when she saw that the doors leading to the ambulance drop-off had also been crushed open and the blood trail kept going on the inside. To make matters worse, the blonde heard that same deep and creepy moan reverberate through the walls again and she swore she actually felt the floor tremble. Not really wanting to know what the fuck did so much damage to the structures, Abby continued her way back at a fast pace, crossing the seals again and finally getting out of the quarantine zone.

Reaching the atrium area once more, where she had found the FEDRA soldiers’ dead bodies, Abby decided to keep her mask on, not trusting that section of the hospital just yet. She looked up at the balcony she had come down from and noticed that there was no way she could climb it up again, it was just too high, even if she used some of the crates that were around the area. _Great. What now_? Scanning the place, Abby’s eyes landed on the elevator doors just to her left and hoped she could get them opened. Taking a deep breath, the blonde positioned her hands on the tiny gap between the doors and started to push, feeling them move a little to the side. She kept pushing, not giving up as that was probably her only way out. _C’mon Abby_ , she tried harder, the muscles under her jacket straining from all the effort, but after a few more seconds, the blonde managed to open a gap just big enough for her to position her right foot against it, and used her strong build as leverage to finally open the door completely.

Looking up the empty elevator shaft, Abby noticed it had some mold and infection growing around it, but it seemed safe, so she started to climb the small ladder on the inside. Abby hoped Lev was still hidden and waiting for her outside, knowing the Wolves would be on high alert; and speaking of that, she still needed to find a way out of the hospital without being seen.

After climbing up the ladder for a couple of floors, the blonde saw that the doors to her left were wide open and she thought it would be better to head that way in case she couldn’t find any other one if she kept going further up. Trying not to look down, Abby held the ladder with one hand and then grabbed the edge of the passageway with the other, placing her feet on a pipe that ran across the concrete. Pushing herself up, she let go of the ladder and managed to climb up, getting out of the shaft and into a corridor on another section of the hospital. Before Abby could catch her breath from everything that had _almost_ happened at the bottom level, she heard a loud metal sound coming from not too far away from her. She quickly grabbed her rifle again, going on high alert as she gathered her surroundings. _What now_?

Apart from the red emergency lights that blinked every so often, there wasn’t any other light source on the corridor, and Abby guessed the generator was only strong enough to power a couple of floors. She still had her flashlight on though, so the blonde kept moving, hoping she was going in the right direction and not straight into a clicker’s nest, since there were still spores floating in the air. Slowly, she opened the door ahead of her with the barrel of her rifle, peeking inside before making her way in, scanning the place with sharp eyes; it was a large room, with more of the same hospital junk and equipment spread around.

Suddenly, a wheezing sound echoed to the blonde’s left, and she turned around quickly, ready to shoot whatever it was, not wanting to get caught by surprise again. However, all she could hear was a shallow breathing coming from the other end of the room, followed by a sliding sound, like something was being dragged. Taking a few steps forward and looking ahead of her where the emergency lights seemed stronger, Abby finally laid her eyes on what was making the sound. Or better, _who_ was.

At first she thought it was an infected, but as she got closer, Abby noticed it was actually a person, who was dragging themselves slowly across the floor. With her finger still on the trigger, Abby carefully eyed their features, going from their light brown cargo pants to their sleeveless green sweater to the thin black headband they were wearing on their hair… Abby felt her stomach sink with realization and she lowered her rifle in defeat.

“N-Nora?”

Abby watched as her friend wheezed again, gasping for air as she raised her head a bit in the blonde’s direction. _No, no, no_ …

“Nora.” Abby was kneeling by her side in a split of second, hovering over her body without really knowing what to do “Nora… Oh my gosh, no.”

Nora gasped again, her face a bloody mess, and Abby could see now from up close how the veins on her friend’s neck and face were popping out of her skin, showing a severe case of infection; she was already turning.

“No, Nora…” Abby felt her own breath get stuck in her throat as the beaten doctor tried to reach for her, but her broken arms barely moved on her side.

“Ahhhh…nng…G-go…” Nora mumbled, her words barely making sense anymore as her body shuddered slightly, more blood coming out of her mouth.

Abby felt her vision suddenly get blurry by tears “I’m-I’m gonna get you outta here, just…” She swallowed her words, trying to think of something, anything. _This can’t be happening, no_ … 

The blonde was taken out of her inner struggle when a door slammed against a wall on the opposite side of the room “Hey!”

A female voice made Abby snap her head up in that direction, her braid falling forward to her chest with the quick motion, and her wet eyes glanced upon a girl standing at the doorway, partially illuminated by the faint red lights.

“Abby.”

The girl said through gritted teeth and then raised the pistol she was holding, shooting with no hesitation at the Wolf.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, if you're enjoying the story so far, please consider leaving a comment down below, it would be much appreaciated.
> 
> I'll see you all on the next update. Stay safe and take care!
> 
> xx


	25. An Eye For An Eye

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!
> 
> Here's another chapter, hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Thanks again for all the support on this story, it means a lot to me! <3
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 025 – An Eye For An Eye**

**Abby – Seattle Day 2**

The sound of the gun being fired echoed throughout the room and the only thing Abby managed to do was to roll sideways in a quick motion, pressing her back behind an office desk as the bullet landed right where she was before. But upon looking at her left, the blonde noticed that she wasn’t exactly the target of the shot; there, right in the middle of Nora’s temple, was a small bullet hole with blood leaking out of it, dripping down the doctor’s face, who now lay dead on the floor. _Nora…_

“You’re gonna die here, just like her!” Abby heard the female voice say again and she wondered who the hell that person was. She looked at Nora again, feeling her heart heavy with a sensation she was far too familiar with, but Abby knew that wasn’t a moment for weakness, since there was literally someone trying to kill her.

Putting her emotions aside, the blonde took a deep breath through her mask and held on tight to her rifle, carefully peeking one eye out of her cover. The girl shot again as soon as she spotted her and Abby ducked down, cursing under her breath as the bullet ricocheted on the desk. Without a second thought, the blonde angled her gun so she could shoot from behind cover and sent a spray of bullets towards the girl’s direction; at the same time, the blonde heard quick footsteps and metal clanking as the girl probably ran into cover. _Damn it, who the hell is she?_ Abby was sure it couldn’t be one of her own people, but how did she knew her name? And why was she after Nora too? The questions hovered the blonde’s mind, but she needed to focus on getting out of there; it was too risky to try for the door where the girl had come from, so she would have to go back and find another way.

Carefully, Abby started to move, using the medical equipment and other stuff around the room to keep herself hidden. Before she could reach the door though, the blonde saw something quick move in the corner of her eyes and she only had the time to raise her arms to protect her face as a glass cabinet was pushed towards her.

“Found you!” The girl shouted, closing in on Abby, but the blonde managed to push the furniture away, the glass breaking into a million pieces, and then grabbed the girl’s hand that held the pistol, not letting her have an angle.

Both women wrestled for a few seconds, the girl trying to get out of Abby’s grasp, but the Wolf clearly had the upper hand, so she just threw the girl onto the door, which opened wide as the girl fell on the floor, her pistol landing not too far away from her. As Abby pulled out her rifle again, she stopped dead in her tracks when she looked down at the girl, her eyes having to double check to make sure she wasn’t imagining things. _Is she… Is she not wearing a mask_?

Being stunned by that realization, Abby didn’t notice the girl reaching forward to get her gun and pointing at her again “Motherfucker!”

The sound of her voice made Abby snap back into reality and she launched herself onto a glass window that led into another room before the girl could shoot. _No, this doesn’t make any sense. The infection would’ve hit her by now_. Abby was still trying to understand what was happening, but there was no time to rationalize since the girl was still chasing her. Seeing a flight of stairs at the end of the corridor, Abby decided to just make a run for it after spraying more bullets from behind her cover; not getting any reaction, the blonde rushed towards the steps at full speed.

However, before she could reach the steps, Abby felt the girl jump on her back, her left arm hooked over the blonde’s neck while her other hand pressed the pistol on her head “Don’t you fucking move.” She said through gritted teeth, but Abby did the exact opposite, rolling over with the weight of her body and sending both of them down the stairs.

It wasn’t a hard fall, but enough to shake them out of their senses for a few seconds as they gathered the new vicinity, where the overgrown infection was much more accentuated on the walls and on the floor. The girl was quick to get on her feet and Abby’s eyes caught her reaching behind her back to grab what seemed to be a shotgun; with an instinctive reaction, Abby kicked a metal chair onto the girl’s legs, making her stumble back a couple of steps, and then punched her once in the face and once again her stomach before grabbing her by her hair and hitting the girl’s face on her knee. “Who the hell are you?” Abby spat out, throwing her on the floor and then pinning her down.

The blonde tried to go for another punch, but the girl was quick to pull out a switchblade and attack her. Abby reacted quickly as well and grasped the girl’s forearm, her much larger hand coming to a full close around it, making it hard for the girl to break free. Abby then started to smash her down onto the floor having her other hand on the girl’s shoulder, taking the chance to scan her face through the beam of light coming from her flashlight. The girl was young, maybe even younger than her, fit but with a much smaller build than hers, and upon inspecting her face, Abby could be certain she wasn’t being affect by the spores at all. _No. This can’t be her_.

Abby’s train of thought was interrupted when she realized the floor beneath them was starting to give in, the mold and the humidity probably making the structure to deteriorate faster with time, and with the next smash, it finally gave in and both girls fell down onto the floor below them. Abby groaned, having landed hard on her hip, and reached her hand on her back to check on herself as she tried to get back up.

“You…” She heard the girl say a few feet from her, her voice also strained from the fall “Why were you after him? Why’d you kill Joel?”

Abby looked up the moment she heard the cocking of a shotgun and managed to roll off to the side as the blast of the shells hit the corner of the wooden crate where she hid herself behind. _Oh, now I fucking get it_ , Abby thought, keeping her back to the crate; _she’s from Jackson_.

“You better fucking answer me before I f-” The girl’s words died in her mouth when a low grumbling sound echoed through the room, followed by a hard bang on the wall to their left, causing the whole floor to shake. _What the hell…_

The blonde peeked from her cover, only to see that the girl was still holding her shotgun, but she was now staring at the wall, which trembled and cracked again with a second bang, almost as if something was trying to make its way through. And just like that, a third bang caused the wall to come crashing down and Abby saw a pair of hands grab onto the side of the hole, pushing forward as groans and shrieks filled up her ears. At first, the blonde thought it was a bloater, given its size, but then another pair of hands emerged from the hole, breaking what was left of the wall, and a massive shape of an infected stepped into the room they were in.

It did seem like a bloater, but with at least half a dozen of other infected attached to its upper body, their heads moving and screaming in a horrifying mutation that was definitely a result of being locked down for pretty much 25 years. The monster first laid its eyes on the girl, who was directly in front of it, and let out an agonizing scream before rushing towards her. Abby had backed away, breathing heavily and not really believing her eyes; she knew she had to run away, but her legs seemed glued to the floor. She watched as the girl shot the infected a couple of times on one of its heads, but it didn’t even flinch from the impact of the shells; instead, it reached out with one of its hands to smack the girl, but she was fast enough to dodge out of the way, rolling to the side. _Move, Abby, now it’s your fucking chance_! Seeing that window of opportunity, the Wolf managed to break out of her initial shock and made a move on, going through the hole on the wall where the infected had come out of.

“Get back here!” She heard the girl shout, followed by a few more shotgun blasts, but she kept moving, hoping the infected would keep the girl busy.

Looking around, Abby realized she had ended up back on the quarantine zone, recognizing the corridor that led to the containment seals on her left and the Trauma Center on the far back. To her right though, the blonde saw the entrance to the ambulance drop-off that had been previously destroyed, and since it was the only place she still hadn’t been to, Abby made a run for it. _Please, let it have a way out_. The place was a large underground parking lot, with a low concrete ceiling and thick pillars marking each section; it still had many FEDRA trucks and police cars around, and after scanning the area quickly, Abby realized the main gate that led outside was completely blocked by an ambulance that had crashed into it. _Shit_.

When she turned around to look for another way out, Abby locked eyes with the girl again, who was pointing the shotgun at her again “You can’t run away.”

The girl took a couple of steps towards Abby, but the blonde’s eyes suddenly went from the shotgun barrel to the large shadow that was now creeping behind the girl. Seconds later, she watched as the massive infected slapped the girl with one of its large hands, throwing her across the room with ease, and then letting out another loud shriek as it moved towards the Wolf. Abby stumbled back, not really knowing where to go, and decided to just attack it to see if she could get some time. Reaching for her left shoulder, she grabbed her flamethrower and after checking the canister, Abby released the fire onto the infected, watching it stop on its tracks as the flames partially engulfed it, its screams echoing throughout the parking lot. The blonde kept her finger pressed on the trigger until the weapon ran out of fuel; then she just threw it away and started to run to the other side of the room. _Give me something, give me something_.

On the corner of the room, Abby saw that the ceiling had given in, the concrete blocks falling on top of some cars and creating some sort of ramp that seemed like her best option of leaving that hell hole. Climbing on top of a truck, the blonde started to make her way up, holding onto the cracks on the blocks so she wouldn’t slip, but suddenly she felt a hand grab her foot, trying to pull her down.

“Let go of me!” Abby shouted, looking behind her just to see the girl’s angry features, clearly not giving up.

The Wolf shook off her boot, getting rid of the girl’s grasp, and then climbed the rest of the way in a hurry, her mind still worried about the infected that definitely would come back after the flames died down. With no time to catch her breath, Abby found herself on a long corridor, this time much more illuminated by sets of windows all over the walls to her left, which let the natural light in. Before the blonde could do anything though, she heard the girl shout behind her, followed by a hard slam on her back.

“Fucking die!” The girl smacked a plank right on Abby’s back, making the woman stumbled forward with the impact.

_Goddammit_ , Abby cursed under her breath, trying not to lose her balance as she turned around, and when the girl went for a second strike, the blonde punched her on the stomach, making her drop the plank, and then she grabbed her by the neck, pushing her onto one of the windows as the glass cracked behind the girl’s head. Abby’s fingers pressed hard around the girl’s throat as she struggled to get away, her hands grasping at the blonde’s jacket on a failed attempt to get some leverage. The girl was tough, Abby would give her that; despite her smaller frame, she was putting up a fight like someone who knew what they were doing and who shouldn’t be underestimated.

Just when Abby thought the girl was going to pass out from the lack of air, her green eyes slightly rolling back, she was taken back by the girl’s grip on her mask, trying to take it off. _No!_ Abby panicked for a split of second, knowing that would be the death of her, and released one of her hands from the girl’s neck to reach over to her face, securing the object in place. But that was all the girl needed to regain some strength and pull out her switchblade again, this time managing to stick it onto the Wolf’s left thigh in a swift move.

Abby screamed in pain, being caught off guard, but when the girl tried to hit her with her blade one more time, the blonde held both of her arms and head-butt her, shoving her to the side and then landing a perfect right hook with everything that she got to the girl’s jaw before losing her balance and falling down, holding onto her bleeding wound. The harsh impact sent the girl spinning onto the floor and she put both hands on her face, the blood spilling between her fingers, and when she looked up at the blonde again, all Abby could see was the sheer look of fear on her eyes as she backed away, still stunned. _Not so fucking brave now, huh? Bitch_.

Swallowing down the glaring pain on her leg, Abby managed to get herself up just in time to see the massive infected trying to make its way up the concrete blocks, part of its body now a bright red from where the fire had hit it. Knowing she didn’t have much time, Abby approached the girl again, grabbing her by her backpack and throwing her on to the wall again, making the glass of one of the windows break this time.

“I’m not giving it the satisfaction of killing you.” Abby muttered under her breath, but she knew the girl had heard her.

As she looked down over the window, Abby saw the river that flooded the area around the hospital; it couldn’t be more than a 6 meters fall and the water was deep enough for a dive. _Alright then_. As the girl coughed some blood, still a bit out of it, Abby grabbed her again and just shoved her out of the window, watching as her body disappeared underwater with a splash.

Looking behind her, the blonde saw the infected break its way through the room, the concrete floor shaking with its weight, and taking one deep breath, the Wolf jumped.

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**Ellie – Seattle Day 2**

With a loud gasp, Ellie emerged from the water, feeling her lungs burn as they sought desperately for air. With her vision blurry and her mind hazy, the girl paddled around for a few seconds with her hands spread in front of her, trying to reach the river bank. Ellie heard another splash hit the water not too far from where she was just as her fingers brushed over a concrete ledge, which she held onto with everything she had got. Things have gone terribly, terribly wrong, and Ellie knew she found herself in the worst possible situation. _I can’t die, not like this, not before… I have to make her pay_.

Using the last bit of strength she had left, the girl pushed her body upwards and rolled over the ledge, finally getting out of the water. There was a large growling sound that echoed throughout the vicinity, which meant that freak show of an infected was still around, but that was the least of the girl’s problems. As she coughed a mouthful of water, mixed with a little bit of blood from her busted lip, Ellie sensed someone approach her, the sound of wet footsteps and water droplets hitting the ground next to her. The girl opened her eyes, breathing heavily, and stared right at a pair of brown boots. _Abby_.

“You shouldn’t have come here.” Ellie heard the woman say in a low voice, following by a cocking sound of a gun.

_No. This can’t be it…_

Suddenly, a voice came from behind Abby, and Ellie looked up from where she was lying on the ground “Abby!” Having a hard time keeping her vision focused, all Ellie could see was a shape of a boy, holding what seemed to be a bow or something “We have to go, Wolves are coming!” He said in a hurry. Wolves… _Why is she running from her own people?_

Whoever he was, he had gotten Abby’s attention, and seeing that the woman was distracted, Ellie tried to get up, reaching for the revolver behind her back. She was too weak though, barely managing to hold herself on her elbows, and before she knew it, Ellie felt the sole of Abby’s boot hit her left shoulder, sending her into the river again.

“C’mon.” She heard Abby say, probably to the boy, and then their footsteps faded away, being muffled by the water covering Ellie’s ears as she floated away down the river. _No, she’s getting away_ …

Ellie tried to hold on to something, any rocks or tree branches that were hanging low near the river yet the current just kept washing her further and further away from the Wolf. But with her mind spinning and her body aching, Ellie just stopped fighting and focused on letting her head above the water, because if she was going to be honest with herself, she wouldn’t stand a chance with the Wolf in those circumstances. When she went after Nora to finish her up, Ellie couldn’t believe her eyes when her flashlight illuminated a female figure crouched down next to the beaten Wolf, and after glancing at the blonde patch of braided hair that fell onto the woman’s chest, Ellie knew it was her. It was like her whole vision had funneled down on the woman ahead of her and all Ellie could think about was how close she was from getting her answers, to finally make Abby pay, to make her suffer for everything she had done to Joel…

But Ellie wasn’t expecting Abby to be a fucking powerhouse of a woman, strong and skilled like a true soldier, and she definitely wasn’t expecting that fucking aberration that was lurking on the lower levels of the hospital. She should’ve had guessed, it was stupid, she was fucking stupid… But it didn’t matter anymore, it was done.

_For now_.

Because it was certainly not over. Ellie just needed to think things through better next time, to come up with a reasonable plan and get to Abby at the Aquarium, since that was where Nora admitted her friend was hiding. Besides, she knew Jesse would help her too; he was going to be fully recovered from his injury by the time she reached the theater and another pair of hands was exactly what she needed. Ellie’s thoughts were interrupted when the current picked up its pace and the river made a sudden turn to the left, causing the girl to submerge for a few seconds. _Fuck_. She fought against it, her arms and legs paddling aimlessly, until she came up for air again, feeling her back hit something right before everything went dark.

Ellie didn’t know how much time had passed, but when she opened her eyes again, she was met with the moonlight glow partially illuminating her surroundings. The girl was lying down on her chest on the river bank, her backpack tangled on the branches of a fallen tree as her body from the waist down was still on the water. Ellie coughed and lifted her face off the ground, running her hand on her face to remove the moisty dirt that was covering her face, and then she felt a shiver run down her spine; it was cold and she was pretty much drenched from head to toe, not to mention that her muscles were sore and her face was aching from all the punches Abby threw at her.

_Abby_. The sudden burst of anger through Ellie’s veins made the girl recover some of her energy and she got out of the water, pulling her bag from the branches before standing on her feet. She grabbed her map, glad it was made of a sturdy material other than just simple paper, and then looked around the area, searching for some sort of landmark or something that felt familiar to her.

Despite being nighttime, the sky was clear, so Ellie could see the top of the Conference Center in the distance. _Shit, the river carried me for a long way,_ the girl mused, checking her map again to try and pinpoint her current location; she wasn’t exactly far from the theater, but it was going to be quite a walk and she would need to be careful not to run into any of the threats that lurked around at night. With that in mind, Ellie put away her map, fixed the backpack on her shoulders and started heading back to the Pinnacle Theater.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, if you're enjoying the story, please consider leaving a comment down below, it's much appreaciated! - and I'd love to connect with my ghost readers lol <3
> 
> I'll see you all next week. Take care and stay safe!
> 
> xx


	26. Consequences

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, everyone!
> 
> Here's another chapter, I hope you enjoy it. Thanks again for all the support, it's much appreaciated <3
> 
> xx

#  **Chapter 026 – Consequences**

**Abby – Seattle Day 2**

“Abby!” Lev’s voice made the blonde snap her head back towards where he was, eyes wide with worry “We have to go, Wolves are coming!”

_Dammit_ , she cursed, knowing word had probably spread out about her escape, not to mention that the whole chaos created by the mutant infected must have gotten the attention of everyone; it was just a matter of time before everything went to shit and they needed to get the hell out of there.

Looking back at the girl lying by her feet, slowly trying to get up, Abby simply took a deep breath and shoved her back into the river, watching as the current started to carry her away. _She’ll drown anyway_ , Abby thought, and turned back to Lev “C’mon.” The Wolf holstered her gun and followed Lev through the trail he had come from, still feeling the sting of pain on her left thigh where the girl’s blade had pierced her. She didn’t have time to worry about it now though, since they weren’t out of danger yet.

“I saw a boat tied by a pole just behind those trees.” Lev pointed out as he led the way, turning his head slightly to look at Abby “Did you get the stuff? What took you so long?”

“Yeah, I got it.” She answered, thinking about the cost she had to pay for it “Let’s just get outta here.” The blonde spotted the boat Lev had mentioned and quickly untied the rope as the boy hopped on it “Here.” She handed her backpack to the kid and then focused on turning the boat on, hoping it still had some juice on it. After pulling the engine cord a few times, she sighed in relief when the familiar sound of the motor hit her ears, but then she froze in place when she also heard gunshots and a few people screaming in the distance. _The infected. Shit_.

“Abby.” She heard Lev say, sensing the unspoken question in his voice.

“It’s fine, let’s just go.” The blonde sat down on the wooden plank opposite to the boy and started to guide the boat away from the hospital “We can reach the Aquarium if we follow the river towards the ocean.”

The boy nodded and Abby could feel his eyes on her “What happened? Who was that girl?”

“No one.” She was quick to reply, wishing he would just let the subject go; it was the last thing she wanted to talk about in that moment. He held his stare for a few more seconds and just when Abby thought he was going to press on, Lev turned around, keeping his gaze at the flooded path ahead of them.

The rest of the way back was quiet, just the sound of the engine and the boat pushing forward against the water. Abby was lost in her thoughts, her mind replaying the events that had just happened, and she felt she was just barely hanging on; it had been too much to take in. But things weren’t done yet. She still needed to deliver the medical supplies, make sure that Yara was okay, and then figure out what the hell she was going to do next.

When they reached the Aquarium, it was probably late afternoon and the ocean was already starting to show off signs that a storm was nearby. Abby guided the boat through the back entrance, where Owen’s sailboat was also stationed, and soon enough she and Lev were heading inside, looking for the Wolf couple.

“Hey, I’m back!” Abby called out as she walked through one of the corridors that led to the common area “Owen? Mel?”

The blonde heard Alice’s huff before her owner showed up, opening one of the doors “You actually made it.” Mel said, approaching Abby “Got everything?”

“Yeah.” Abby started to take off the supplies from inside her bag as Owen also came out of the other room.

“Jesus. What happened?” He asked and Abby saw that he was looking at the red patch of blood on her thigh.

“It’s nothing.” She brushed him off and handed the supplies she had gathered to Mel.

“I’m gonna prep things up.” Mel said and then threw a knowing look at Owen as she got back inside “Owen.”

He just nodded and waited until she was out of sight to look at Abby again “You sure you’re okay? What happened at the hospital?”

“I said that I’m fine, Owen.” Abby shut him off again “You should go and help Mel.”

Not waiting for him to answer, the blonde just headed to one of the back rooms, in need of some time to herself. The storage area had been turned into some kind of lounge room, with a couple of couches, a table and some chairs, and Abby set her bag on one of them before taking off her jacket and heading over to the bathroom. It was just a cubicle with a toilet and a sink, and the blonde was quick to turn the tap on and splash some water on her face. The realization of what had just happened at the hospital was finally sinking in and she felt her stomach twist at the memory of a bloody and beaten Nora, almost taken over by the infection. Abby let out a shallow puff of air and gripped the sides of the sink with her hands, closing her eyes as she let her head fell forward. It was all her fault. She should’ve come clean to Nora about everything. _And now she’s dead because of me_.

And what bothered Abby’s mind even more was the person who actually killed her. It sounded almost ironic, even. The immune girl. _So she was still living in Jackson with Joel after all these years and Tommy must have brought her here with him. Fucking unbelievable._ Abby shook her head, regretting some of her decisions. She should’ve killed Tommy too. _Yeah, I should’ve done it_. But at the time all she wanted was to make him feel like shit at the sight of his dead brother; she didn’t expect him to come after her so fast. How naïve of her. What was she supposed to say to the others now? She should just go back to Manny and Jordan at the FOB, deal with Tommy, and just go from there. Nick and Nora were gone, but that didn’t mean her other friends had to meet their same fate.

Taking a deep breath, Abby opened her eyes again and turned around to leave the bathroom, only to face Lev’s small frame standing awkwardly in the middle of the lounge room.

“You okay, kid?” She asked, wondering how long he had been standing there.

Lev fumbled with his hands, probably feeling a bit out of place “I guess so.”

Abby sighed, thinking about what she could do to take his mind off his sister’s surgery while they waited “You must be hungry. Wanna eat something?”

This time Lev was quick to nod his head and Abby let out a faint smile as she walked over to the counter, opening a big plastic box where Owen kept some of the supplies that didn’t need to be stored in a fridge. She grabbed a few slices of bread, some smoked cheese and a tomato, all courtesy of the Stadium, and set them over at the table, asking Lev to sit down. They ate their sandwiches in silence for the most part, except when Lev was telling her how good it was between a bite or two. After a while, Alice’s paws hitting the floor caught Abby’s attention and she watched the dog enter the room, her tail wiggling excitedly at the familiar faces. The blonde also noticed how Lev froze in his seat, staring at the dog like she had the rabies or something.

“It’s okay, she won’t bite you.” Abby reassured the kid.

“Yeah, right.” Lev replied without even looking at her, too busy watching Alice’s moves.

Abby didn’t blame him for being afraid, since the Wolves trained their dogs to pick up the Scars’ trail from miles away, but she wanted to show him that Alice was harmless if she felt comfortable with someone. “I mean it. You’re a good girl, aren’t you, Alice?” Abby reached out her hand for the dog, who was quick to snuggle under her palm, waiting for the scratches on her head “See?” Abby looked over at Lev again “Wanna pet her?” The boy’s eyes widened for a split of second, but then his hand moved a little, still hesitant “It’s okay.”

After Abby reassured him again, Lev reached out his hand to touch Alice’s fur, and upon sensing the new source of affection, the dog turned to face the boy, panting happily when he started to scratch her. Lev smiled and then looked up at Abby “She’s soft.”

“Told you.” The blonde watched as Alice rested her chin on the kid’s leg, enjoying the petting “Just don’t let her snitch the rest of your sandwich.” The boy smiled once more and then Abby went over to where she had left her bag, retrieving some bandages from inside.

The wound on her thigh had stopped bleeding but she still wanted to cover it up to avoid any further damage. Applying some pressure, she wrapped it up around her thigh, still feeling her clothes a bit damp from the river. After Abby was done, she and Lev went back to the corridor with Alice in toe, and waited until Mel was finished with Yara’s surgery.

When the door opened again, Lev was the first one to get up from his chair, eyes glued to the young doctor’s face “How’s Yara?”

“She’s fine.” Mel answered, stepping out of the room while Owen held the door open “Everything went well. She’s a bit sleepy, but you can see her now.”

With no hesitation, Lev rushed into the room and Owen closed the door, leaving the two women by themselves. “How was it?” Abby asked as Mel dried her hands with a piece of cloth, having just washed them.

“It was tough, but she’s gonna be fine despite the circumstances.” Mel sighed, running her fingers through her short hair “If only Nora was here… I could’ve used another pair of hands. She’s still coming, right?”

Mel’s question caught Abby off guard and she swallowed hard, fidgeting on her chair. She wouldn’t be able to keep this from her. “Um…”

“What is it?” Mel was probably sensing the blonde’s discomfort, noticing that something was wrong “Abby.”

Abby finally took a deep breath and looked at Mel from her seat “Nora’s not coming.” She said, biting her tongue before letting out the next words “She’s dead.”

There was a moment of silence in the corridor as Mel frowned and blinked a few times, trying to process the information. Abby remained quiet as well, not really knowing what to say; it was painful enough just to think about it.

“W-What? How?” Mel broke the silence, looking for answers “I thought, I thought the hospital was free from Scars-”

Abby didn’t let her finish “It wasn’t Scars.”

“Then what the hell happened, Abby?” The doctor raised her voice a little, clearly angry at the blonde’s short answers.

She got up from her chair and paced around for a minute before looking at Mel again “The girl Joel saved from the hospital that day… She came here.”

Mel frowned once again, as if she was trying to make the connection “What are you talking about? The immune girl?”

Abby nodded “She and Joel’s brother came here. Apparently they’ve been searching for me all over the city.”

The shorter woman let out a dry laugh, shaking her head “This is unbelievable.”

“I’ve dealt with it.” Abby replied quickly, but Mel also had a sharp tongue.

“A bit too late if you ask me.” The doctor gave her a cold stare “Nora didn’t deserve to pay for your actions, Abby.”

“And you think I don’t know that?” The blonde spat back in a defensive tone “You all wanted him dead as much as I did.”

“But it was your job to keep those people away from us and not lead them right back to our city.” Mel continued to spill out the truth “It’s not like you were thinking much about us anyway, right?”

Abby didn’t say anything, instead just bit the inside of her cheeks and held the doctor’s stare. She knew she had fucked up, badly, but hearing it out loud made it sound even worse. Maybe she deserved that after all.

“Is that why you’re helping these kids? To make yourself feel better?” Mel threw another set of questions at her.

“That’s not it.” The blonde said even though she wasn’t quite sure about her reasons.

“Is it out of guilt then? Cause I find it hard coming from Isaac’s top Scar killer.” Mel’s shorter frame stood tall in front of Abby, her words cutting out like knives, and the blonde just took them all in “For four years you couldn’t see past your own nose and now you’re just playing the good Samaritan role? Owen may fall for this little act of yours, but I’m not stupid. You’re a piece of shit, Abby. And I hope you realize the best thing you can do for these kids is to stay the hell away from their lives.”

Mel reached out for the doorknob, but before she could turn it, the door opened and she almost bumped into Lev and Owen as she made her way inside, stomping her feet.

“Mel, what the…” Owen was taken back by his girlfriend’s behavior and then he turned back to Abby with confused eyes.

The blonde could feel her cheeks burn with a mix of anger and embarrassment, but she just swallowed her tears in pride and stormed off the place before Owen could say anything else.

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**Lev – Seattle Day 2**

Just as Owen opened the door, Lev almost didn’t have time to move out of the way as the pregnant woman rushed past them, entering another room in the back. The boy turned around to look at Abby, but all he could see was a flash of the blonde’s braid as she disappeared down the corridor in quick steps.

“Shit. Mel, wait up!” Owen went after the doctor and the boy remained in place, not really knowing what to do after being caught again on whatever was happening between the three of them.

He was just checking on his sister, happy to see that she was feeling much better and was no longer in pain, even though she had lost one of her limps. They managed to talk a bit while Owen roughly explained the precautions she would need to have for the next few days, but soon Yara fell asleep as a result of the medicine the Wolf had given her.

Lev decided to let her rest and when he was about to go back to the corridor with Owen, they heard rushed voices coming from the other side of the door, as if the two women were arguing. The boy had only managed to catch the end of the conversation, but from what he heard, it was enough to make Abby upset.

“Goddammit, Mel! What the hell was that?” He heard Owen’s muffled voice in the distance.

“I’m surprised you didn’t go after her first.” The woman replied right away.

“Oh c’mon, don’t start this again…” The Wolf continued on, but it was hard to make up his words as he probably moved further away into the room.

Not really wanting to stay there when they decided to leave, Lev closed the door behind him and walked down the corridor to where he had last seen Abby. When he didn’t find her in the main lobby, the boy contemplated going up to the second floor, but then he just passed through one of the doors that led to the outside area. It was night time already, with the moon high up in the sky, and the heavy clouds surrounding it were a sign of an upcoming storm.

Lev walked over to the pier, feeling the wind pick up as the waves crashed into the wooden structure, and just when he was about to head back inside, he spotted Abby’s silhouette leaning over the rails to his left side. The boy took the remaining steps in her direction, still a bit unsure of himself since he didn’t know if she wanted to be left alone.

“Abby?” He called out once he was close enough.

The Wolf turned her head slightly to the side when she heard his voice, but then just stared back at the ocean in front of her “How’s your sister?”

Lev mimicked her position on the rails, staying by her side “Okay. She’s sleeping now.”

“That’s good.” Abby replied, sniffling a bit, and he wondered if she had been crying.

They remained in silence for a few more minutes and Lev tried to remember what Abby and Mel were arguing about before. He hadn’t heard much, but from what he could gather, Mel was saying that he and his sister would be better off away from Abby because she was a bad person. He didn’t understand why she had said something so mean to her, especially because they were supposed to be friends.

“She’s wrong, you know.” Lev gave voice to his own thoughts, breaking the silence “You’re a good person.”

Abby just huffed and shook her head “You don’t know me.” The boy knew she was technically right; only a couple of days had passed since they first met at the forest, but still… He felt like he could trust her. Why would Mel think otherwise?

“Is this about the girl who attacked you at the hospital?” Lev decided to ask something that had been on his mind since they made their way back to the Aquarium “The one with the ink on her arm?” The boy could remember the intricate drawing on one of the girl’s arms, but even though he had seen some Wolves wear ink, the girl didn’t seem like one of Abby’s people, judging by her clothes and how hostile she was towards the blonde.

“That too.” When Abby didn’t elaborate further, Lev kept his questions going.

“What did you do?” He asked and when more than a minute passed, he was sure he wouldn’t get an answer.

“I…” But then Abby started talking and he listened closely “I killed someone she cared for.”

Lev replied right away with the most obvious question “Why?”

“Because he killed my father.” Abby finally looked at Lev, and the kid was taken back by the anger in her blue orbs, matching the raging ocean waves in front of them “And it took me everything I had to find him, but when I did… I made him pay.”

_Oh_. The boy bit his lip, thinking about her words. He wondered if that was what the blonde meant when she told him that she wanted to take her mind off some things earlier. _Does she…regret it?_ Lev didn’t think so. He may have known the Wolf for only a couple of days, but she didn’t seem like that type of person. It wouldn’t hurt asking anyway though. “So that’s why you’re helping us? Cause you feel bad for wh-”

“I told you that I don’t know, Lev! Alright? Jesus.” Abby spat out in frustration, not letting the boy finish, but then she ran her hands over her face, sighing heavily “You saved my life.”

Lev stayed quiet for a bit, waiting for her to calm down before continuing on “When Yara told me to cut that rope, I didn’t want to. I mean, why would I? You people are the enemy, always have been. But if I didn’t, we would have died. Even if we managed to get out of the forest, Yara would be dead because of her injury. I guess…” Lev frowned, not really sure how to put into words what he was thinking “I guess sometimes we just do what we have to.”

He heard Abby sigh again and then turn to him “I guess so.” Suddenly, Lev felt cold water droplets hit his head and he looked up to the sky, noticing it had started to rain. Abby stepped away from the wooden rail and pointed towards the Aquarium “We should head back inside and get some rest. It’s been a long day.”

Lev just nodded and followed the blonde back in, his mind still going over their conversation.

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading!
> 
> As always, if you're enjoying the story so far, please consider leaving a comment down below, it means a lot to me. <3
> 
> Next chapter marks the beginning of day 3 and I'm excited to share with you how some events will unfold 👀
> 
> See you all next week, take care and stay safe!
> 
> xx

**Author's Note:**

> Updates once a week, so stay tuned.
> 
> Come talk to me on my social media if you want to!
> 
> Tumblr - aheartfulloflexa  
> Twitter - @CamisGui
> 
> See you next time!  
> xx


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